Composed and written between Paris and New York, Wax Tailor’s new album follows an organic landscape of chilling, orchestral accents. WT’s distinctive style is instantly recognisable. Along with progressive writing and an emphasis on string arrangements, you see him embrace 60’s pop and disco tracks to his eclectic palette of soul, funk and hip-hop—a style manifested especially towards the end of the set in ‘Leave It’ with Dionne Charles.

It’s primarily the vocal collaborations (with Charlotte Savary, Speech Defect, Sara Genn, Mattic, Dionne Charles, Ali Harter, ASM and Charlie Winston) that distinguish In the Mood for Life from the Parisian’s previous albums Tales of the Forgotten Melodies and Hopes & Sorrow.

Thanks to these partnerships, the relaxing yet animated atmosphere that WT has created can be navigated harmoniously from song to song, diverting negative attention from what at first may seem like too diverse an expanse.  Yet it is the time gap between these songs allows for the transitions to appear fluid rather than blocky, and with some patience for those who are unfamiliar to his sounds, one can begin to appreciate the loot of such a quality assortment of accompanying musicians.

With them, WT becomes a master of reinventing oneself in a style spanning a resemblance with the melancholy of The Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star through to the humorous anchoring of DJ Yoda, all blended with a delicate balance of hip-hop.

The result is a dose of optimistic beatcraft, journeying from the poignant ‘Dry Your Eyes‘ and ‘No Pity,’ to the wittier ‘Say Yes‘ and ‘Sit and Listen.’ The variety of genres woven through the album collide at ‘denser points’ in tracks like ‘Fireflies’.

Words Anisha Jogani
Buy In the Mood for Life
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