Heard It Here First

The Smoakland boys are starting off the new year with their highly-anticipated liquid drum & bass side project, Liquid Smoak. After releasing beautifully-crafted mixes these last couple of years, Harry and Anthony are proud to present their first liquid DnB EP in Morning Rituals.

Known for their high energy, in-your-face sets, Smoakland have also been showcasing their range in the form of healing DnB frequencies ever since their live debut set as Liquid Smoak at last year’s Sound Haven Festival. Since then, they have played a packed-out, intimate set at Larimer Lounge in Denver as well as a recent club set in Hawaii that also featured friends and collaborators Mersiv and SuperAve. They will be joining Mersiv again in April for Mersiv Rocks, featuring other heavy hitters like Daily Bread and Tripp St. Let us know if you’ll be attending this epic event this spring down in the comments!

The Morning Rituals EP is the first time we get to hear the boys’ own spin on liquid drum & bass. Liquid drum & bass is often characterized by its atmospheric, melodic approach, mellow instrumentation, and smooth, soulful frequencies. Knowing what we know now, it is safe to say that these two absolutely nailed it with these tracks. If you’ve been an avid follower of the duos’ Liquid Smoak mix series, you might remember hearing all four tunes premiere in Liquid Smoak III.

The EP opens with “Falling Down”, which is also the opening track of the Liquid Smoak III mix. It truly signifies a new chapter for the Smoakland project, providing much-needed pleasantries as we embark into this EP. The second track,“Hold On”, is the first time the boys have a vocalist on one of their DnB tracks. UK-based singer-songwriter, Megan Linnell, absolutely delivers with her angelic lyricism, truly encapsulating the energy that Liquid Smoak is shooting for. This vocal-driven banger premiered a week early before the full EP dropped, allowing fans to get a taste of what was to come.

“We’re On Fire” and “Empty Room” close out the Morning Rituals EP with two soul-cleansing tracks that once again highlight so many beautiful influences within the mellow DnB subgenre. Their subtle synth work, clean percussion, and stimulating reese basses provide the necessary ingredients for fans to truly appreciate what they are listening to, and ultimately branch out to discover new sounds, styles, artists, and more within this subgenre.

The Morning Rituals EP is honestly a huge moment for American drum & bass, as I feel like we haven’t really had liquid DnB spoonfed to the masses quite like this. We’ve seen artists like REAPER, Kumarion, and Justin Hawkes really pushing the envelope and leading the charge with this American DnB movement over the last couple of years, providing more hard-hitting styles like Jump Up, Techstep, and Neurofunk. With all of this great forward momentum, it is definitely an exciting time to be a drum & bass fan right now in the United States.

What did you think of Smoakland’s debut Liquid Smoak EP Morning Rituals? Let us know in the comments below or on our social media!

Photo credit @jasonsiegel

Follow the HIHF team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with news, fresh tunes, merch giveaways, exclusive mixes, interviews, and so much more!