A lushly melodic track from Manchester-based artist Warahenege, “Black Smoke, Autumn Breeze” meshes hazy guitars and twinkling synths with serene vocal touches. The warming guitars and subdued vocals conjure a relaxed feeling in the verses, emitting a sense of complacency with the line “what does it all matter, the wheels keeps turning anyway.” A more emotive yearning arrives in the chorus; vocals intensify and added guitar twangs linger alongside an effervescent synth backing: “Oh you must know now, about all the things I’d keep if I could forget it all.”
The two-minute turn offers a particularly gorgeous sequence, where the spacey synths and hazy guitar textures intermingle. Aesthetically, I’m fondly reminded of Last Dinosaurs. Twinkling guitars and more restrained percussion build toward the three-minute mark, culminating in blissful dreaminess into the fading conclusion. “Black Smoke, Autumn Breeze”” marks another success from Warahenege, who was featured previously with the tracks “Cosmic Mess” and “Strange New Crowd.”
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This track and others featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of April 2022’ Spotify playlist.
