naagelatin’s “CH0P” is a sun-soaked case study in going with the flow

From GarageBand to Logic Pro, their catalogue dating back to the summer of COVID-19, naagelatin’s new collection of ambient, downtempo and electronic experiments has finally made its way to all major streaming platforms after a distribution delay. It’s the sonic equivalent of a humid haze. Sticky and sickly sweet, the 25-year-old's playere EP rises like the sun. Exposure is intensive but bright nonetheless, a total tonal shift of their previous moodier works. At its core sits the song “CH0P”; saturnine then jovial, almost juvenile with cool, casual whimsy and warmth. For naagelatin, real name Naa Ramírez, “CH0P might be [my favourite] ‘cause I feel like it’s the beating heart of the EP. It encompasses the carefreeness that I was kind of going for with releasing this, with sequencing this.” A series of merry, frolicsome “la la la”s reveals a sprinkle of Ramírez’s vocal offerings, front and centre across playere. “I’ve definitely released music prior with my voice, I’m trying to incorporate it more, but it’s tricky to wrap my head around recording myself and being comfortable. I feel like ‘CH0P’ is one of the most in your face [tracks], like, ‘Yeah, I'm gonna show you my fucking voic...