Har Mar Superstar is the rare artist that can explore different genres while remaining sincere to his own artistic vision. His new EP, Personal Boy, produced by BJ Burton and Lazerbeak, is no exception, as he dives deep into the 80’s-infused, smooth, electro-R&B of the title track. Demanding a Miami Vice era Michael Mann montage, the song builds slowly and insistently for 7 and a half minutes as Har Mar passionately bares his soul as only he can. The slap bass and hint of vocoder in “Timeback” further serves the cool retro vibe, as the track slinks by. Rounding out the EP is a cover of The Afghan Whigs‘s recent single “Demon in Profile,” starring Har Mar in the music video. While at first, he doesn’t seem to stray too far from the original, as the song builds, it shifts into a style that is consistent with the rest of the EP, with electronic drums and synths and even the hint of an 80s dance beat that works surprisingly well with the darkness of the song. The radio edit of the title track at the end, while understandable, feels like cheating as it loses much of the ambiance of the full cut. While this EP is much more subdued than his past work, this chilled out mood, combined with his passionate, often unbridled delivery, results in a fresh take on this style. Get your Sonny Crockett outfit on and brood in style along to this EP.
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