A lot can be said about Tay Iwar’s artistry but words can not capture its intricacies – the way a 17-year-old from Abuja rose through the ranks, wielding skillsets a lot possess but few have harnessed properly to pave his own path in an industry that still struggles to grasp the weight of alternative music. In the same enchanting way he stole our hearts with his mellifluous sound way back in 2014, he returns this month with the full package of his talent – Production, Singing and Mixing in the very much anticipated Gemini.
Seeing as he has been building up the anticipation to Gemini‘s arrival since 2018 with the release of the 3-part EP; 1997 and a trickle of singles released this year, the Album’s prompt arrival comes as no surprise as it carries the weight of a promise kept, it also carries the weight of the full scope of Tay’s creative mind, his sophisticated sound and an overall welcoming ambiance.
Built on a foundation of flawless keys and mellow but piercing acoustics, Gemini opens up with Satisfied; a short but stark reminder of a warm summer day spent in a lull. For an introductory track, Satisfied doesn’t do the project justice as what follows are 15 more tracks of Indie goodness, warm Bass Ballads, shimmery ’80s Pop, mood-inducing acoustic blends and heady EDMs scattered across an avalanche of interludes and a few stretched out narratives.
What’s most impressive is not the few synchronized key features on the 16-track project or Tay’s soulful vocals that equates a warm broth or the way said vocals are woven with the kaleidoscope of sounds but the fact that he carried the Album on his back, singing, songwriting and even producing 12 of these tracks.
Gemini is Tay Iwar’s Soulection debut and though it’s not really a rebirth, it definitely serves as reinforcement as he continues his journey with a variety of stories and sounds he so perfectly weaponizes with grace and we become increasingly aware of the force field that is Tay Iwar.