AOSOON: A Lot of Something Out of Nothing

By Alif Omar Mahfix • 06 Sep 2013 in Detonate

Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp

Marisa Hylton (vocalist/guitarist) and Manny Folorunso (bassist) make up London duo AOSOON, a downtempo acoustic-electronic hybrid that adds to London’s music canon of the sombre and minimal kind. Think how The xx plays with negative space in their sound, then replace their depressingly indifferent singing with emotive vocals and soulful delivery – AOSOON is somewhere within that pop approximation.

As the longhand version of their name (AlotOfSomethingOutOfNothing) would suggest, Marisa and Manny make music that doesn’t aspire for grandiosity – musically and lyrically – yet their songs are imbued with gravity; solemn musings of everyday life over uncomplicated (read: subtle) guitar strums and beat can turn out to be something after all. There’s simplicity to their approach that resonates easily, the most potent of storytelling, after all, needs to be in broad strokes of emotions.

The first single that generated interest in them, ‘Skinny Strong’, is thematically representative of the band – an ode to vocalist Marisa’s natural built and heritage that is near mythic (“She strengthened me with her sun / I filled with joy when he’s around / I’m reassured with a rainbow”). Their EP What is This About, released early this summer, continues much of what they established with that track, and then some.

With tracks like ‘Ghost’ and ‘Under’ (which had exploded in plays since it was featured on Majestic Casual), the duo extended their acoustic sound to some electronic influences on the EP. The former is especially masterful in its production when it reaches its Lapalux-esque coda – a haunting trap drums-aided work that comes complete with the now obligatory slowed-down vocal effects – and the latter wouldn’t be out of place as a b-side of The xx’s Coexist.

AOSOON is still unsigned as of this writing, but we’re willing to bet they are set to be the next big thing from London. Give it another year and there will be something out of nothing.