Leonard Van Vuuren is a flâneur. His new EP, Abnormal City Rendezvous, translates “a composite of cities passed through, half-lived in, heard through walls, and dreamt of” into five tracks full of disorienting drum loops, whispered lyrics, and pronounced basslines. Abnormal City Rendezvous is now available on all streaming platforms.
A practiced observer of urban environments, Van Vuuren believes “landscapes are stitched together by moments rather than geography.” Bringing a similar logic to his music production, Abnormal City Rendezvous patchworks samples into a quilt of textured rock. When I inquired about his songwriting process, Van Vuuren informed me he uses samples to “blur” his structured darkwave basslines and hi-fi drum loops. Abnormal City Rendezvous’s tracks intentionally bleed into one another to sonically construct metropolitan environments. There is no definite end or beginning.
Abnormal City Rendezvous is successful in its ability to simulate temporality. Van Vuuren’s choices of samples are thoughtful, imparting each song with a distinctive and fleeting feeling. Strings give Perennial Blossom a brooding sentiment, cloudrock guitar loops dot Pierced by Oblivion, Time for Spring for an upbeat feel. “Don’t you dare” glowers Van Vuurren in Disembark! a threat quickly cut by Ronde’s atmospheric synths. Scratch Underneath One Nail (Or Another) closes the EP with a romantic, yearning feeling.
After listening to Van Vuuren’s EP and intensely reading his artist statement, I feel reflective. For all the challenges the city brings, it’s worth every second. Listen to Abnormal City Rendezvous below.
