TOKiMONSTA – Oasis Nocturno
While Oasis Nocturno is undoubtedly a pleasant experience, it might not stick with you very long
Oasis Nocturno, the title of producer TOKiMONSTA’s fourth album brings forth an evocative image of a safe haven, somewhere to retreat to in the heat of the night. Unsurprisingly, that imagery feels like it's woven into the fabric of TOKiMONSTA’s latest full-length; for the most part, it's a relatively chilled, smooth and melodic slice of electronic music.
Within this framework, Oasis Nocturno provides opportunities to continue exploring her own production style, infusing otherwise mellow tracks with intricate flourishes and dabbles in different genres. House of Dal contains a myriad of attention-grabbing details, while Get Me Some is an R'n'B-inflected jam featuring appropriately soulful vocals. Its most arresting instrumental track, To be Remote, maintains its danceable core while building on a piano line that emotionally swells as the track progresses.
The aural haven TOKiMONSTA fashions throughout the album makes its centrepiece somewhat curious. Fried for the Night features booming basslines, skittering trap beats and a hyperactive performance from Atlanta rap duo EarthGang. In amongst this sea of languid tunes it’s tonal whiplash, coming out of nowhere before receding back into the relative tranquillity from which it came. Yet a little bit more of that additional energy may have been welcome; while Oasis Nocturno is undoubtedly a pleasant experience, it might not stick with you very long.
Listen to: To be Remote