Veering away from indie psych territory his recent releases have called home, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer KAIS has unlocked the gateway to transcendental audial pleasure in his three-track EP, What If I.

Release on February 3rd, the downtempo instrumental EP starts with the accessibly Avant-Garde complex signatures in the opening single, R.E.M. State, which sets a scintillatingly sonorous score of dream-like aural complexion. Words needn’t be spoken with the gentle melodies as a guide to sanctity as the percussion depicts the frenetic atmosphere we strive for solace within.

Track 2, Honey Ripples, is a submersion into an azure idyllic world, soundtracked by quiescent melodies and the euphonically cathartic timbre of dolphin’s trills, which effortlessly meld with the oceanic ambience.

Track 3, What If I, unravels as ambient jazz from the ether of a parallel universe. The artful keys, echoes of provocative spoken philosophy and trip-hop-y breakbeats transfuse into transcendental sonic cinema at its finest.

KAIS said:

“R.E.M State I’ve always been super inspired by KAYTRANADA’s ‘Bus Ride’ from the 99.9% album. I get lost in the instrumentals every-time I listen to that track, and no matter what state I’m in, it has me feeling more rejuvenated after every playback. ‘Bus Ride’ is the sort of track that has left a mark on the canvas of our universe, and I wanted to give back by creating something similar.

“Since 2020, I find that my direction has generally transitioned into more rhythmic Jazz territory and it’s something I was able to meld into from the psych-rock realm without giving my audience the wrong shock factor.

“Honey Ripples was written on a rainy day, envisioning how water droplets collide with the body of a lake before reflecting the impact through the warm and creamy honey texture of the Rhodes piano, also experimenting with dolphin samples to create an underwater soundscape haven.

“What If I traverses themes of revival; the instrumental track with spoken vocals speaks from the dark abyss of mortal defeat. The protagonist weighs up letting his soul disintegrate or summoning an unforeseen strength to claw out of his pit to bring about his soul’s resuscitation.”

Amelia Vandergast, the Executive Editor at A&R Factory said:

“What If I is an alchemic feat of audio engineering, definitively proving KAIS’ ability to take phenomenological fragments and create sonically serene worlds from them. If I could permanently exist within them, I would take up perpetual residence in their artistic confines.”