INZO seems to have been on quite the odyssey in recent years. He’s had a lot of attention from the press and his peers the same just in 2023 alone, and now this summer he’s back in the headlines once more with a new single in “Earth Magic” that brings him together with Elohim for a rollercoaster ride every synthwave and lo-fi fan should be getting excited about at the moment.
Influenced heavily by the downtempo club music that spawned an entire vaporwave underground some thirteen years ago, “Earth Magic” bursts out of the darkness with a mission to make us dance that INZO will do anything to see completed. His passion is on his sleeve, but his influences have never been harder to pin down – even for a professional music critic like myself. He’s determined to make his own waves, forgive the pun, in 2023, and in my estimation, he couldn’t be doing a much better job.
Grooves are the cornerstone of all the excitement in “Earth Magic,” but there’s a lot more to this track than lusty beats alone. Both in and out of the chorus, there’s a tonal definition to the synthesizers that rivals some of the more boisterous hip-hop content I’ve been reviewing in the last couple of months. The bass wars with the percussion for our favor as we get into the middle portion of the single, but through Elohim’s careful handiwork on the mixing board, the tempo is always preserved where it belongs from the get-go – center stage.
I can’t recall the last time that I listened to any straightforward electronica that had the sort of intimate vibes to its arrangement that “Earth Magic” does, but at the same time, there’s no way that I would call this an all-out exercise in experimentation on INZO’s part. He’s toyed with electronic themes in his songwriting beforehand, but at its heart and soul, this song is very much a product of the pop simplicity that made his scene the commercial and critical smash that it has inevitably become.
For those select audiences that are in the mood for something that can start a party as easily as it can soundtrack a lonely afternoon, INZO’s “Earth Magic” is a top-shelf listen this June. In a season that has been filled with weak collaborations across almost every subgenre of pop, INZO’s experimentations alongside Elohim are a beacon of hope to indie connoisseurs everywhere right now.
There’s no telling what this pair would be able to do with an entire full-length studio album, and if “Earth Magic” continues to gain steam with listeners around the globe through the summer, demand for such a release could become too great to resist. I’ve been keeping up with this artist for a long time now, but this year, I think he’s ready to reenter the elite class in contemporary pop’s hierarchy within the most important subculture the genre has to regard at this moment in history. I love this direction and provided it stays strong, I expect even more from INZO soon.
