Sam Akpro - Evenfall

South London's Sam Akpro prowls through musical territories with calculated precision. 'Evenfall' is a debut that dances within its meticulous construction, shoegaze's dreamy wash colliding with post-hardcore's serrated edge.

'Death By Entertainment' epitomises this collision course, its guitar architecture stacking skyward until the whole thing threatens to topple – but never does. Working alongside producer Shrink, Akpro crafts spaces that feel simultaneously vast and claustrophobic, each element given just enough oxygen to catch fire.

'Chicago Town' might be the clearest distillation of what makes this record special. It's a psychedelic spiral that somehow maintains its footing, matching experimental impulses with an undercurrent of rhythm that wouldn't sound out of place on a J Dilla beat tape. It's the sort of track that makes genre classifications feel hopelessly outdated.

The title-track stands as the record's gravitational centre, capturing that electric moment when streetlights first flicker to life. Akpro's vocal performance here is superb in finding melody in the margins, while the band around him - Cameron Jacobs (guitar), Joshua Lee (guitar), Luke Chin-Joseph (bass), Kyle Creaton (drums) and Taylor Devenny (sampler, keys) - build and dissolve structures with precision.

What elevates 'Evenfall' is its sustained brilliance across all ten tracks, how densely packed it is with ideas yet how effortlessly it carries them. From the opening salvos to the final pairing of 'Cherry' and 'Cornering Lights', there's not a moment that feels superfluous or undercooked. Drop the needle anywhere, and you'll land on something worth dissecting. Every second feels purposeful, considered, and essential.