heavensouls – 2026
★★★★☆
THIS IS A BLATANT ABUSE OF SAMPLING
heavensouls has developed somewhat of a cult following these past few months. Ever since DNWLP caught the eyes of any electronic junkie with a heartbeat, his audience has been getting bigger and bigger with each release. darklight was the first of his projects this year, proving to be one of the most suffocatingly dense electronic albums in recent memory (and personally a step above DNWLP for me). What followed was westside trapped, a solo project by heavensouls that was noticeably different from what he’d previously done, especially with the sidepeices. It was brimming with passion and displayed an entirely new skillset from him, opening the door for cantu.
cantu of the sower hosts some of the most dense and cutting electronic music that we’ve seen this year. It’s not as brazen or noisy as DNWLP or darklight, instead opting for a blend of the best aspects from heavensouls’ work with the sidepeices and westside trapped. The percussion is just as fast paced as it may have been on darklight, but now it backs serene and layered samples rather than the shrill and dismantled electronic blips on songs like “drop a couple” and “everyday fishing.” However, it still employs studio musicians, with Big Head (returning from westside trapped), and Sterling Bidler on guitars, and Alyssa Mandel of ‘your arms are my cocoon’ on the saxophone, who proves to be the backbone of this album, always grounding the record as it reaches its highs (the middle of “group working” being an example).
Many of the songs on here feel like they could’ve been standalone releases in their own right, “model housing” being the best example. It’s probably the EP’s most dense track, quite literally roaring to life at many different moments in the song. The guitars sear past you while the percussion continues to make a motif of itself behind them, and just as you’re coming down, the saxophone cuts in again and returns you.
We are not without another sidepeices collaboration on this EP. heavensouls’ rapping on here was already awesome, so stickerbush joining the fray again on “shipping times and quiet streets” can only be a positive (free leaper!). It’s another song where the track slowly builds steam, much like “it’s about that time” or “star balcony.” We even get to see the same style of drumming on “shed a tear for me” around the middle of the song.
heavensouls’ foremost trait is his creativity, which has been abundantly clear since the DNWLP. His use of sampling is mystifying, no matter what it always feels incredibly fresh and fun. cantu of the sower is no different in that sense. In fact, he takes it even further by displaying that he can easily blend both styles like nothing. What we’re witnessing now is one of the most talented producers continuously topping himself and proving that hitting the ceiling is far from a concern as it stands now.
Favorite Track(s): today is my favorite, model housing, star balcony, group working
Written by Michéal Doran
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