POINT3NINE is a Toronto, Canada-based one-man band who brings soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop and garage rock together in his new EP High Rollin 2.

By Graeme Smith

High Rollin 2 is a six track collection of samples, beats and experimentation. Opening in colloquial style, Spot of Whisky gives us a smoky taste of what’s to come with a looping, fuzzy melody and captured spoken word vocals.

What POINT3NINE does exceptionally well is build atmosphere so that even though each track on his new EP is a brief vignette, they feel bigger than they are. Hey Punk broods with the heavy air of a late night dive bar in which something is about to go down. Breach Funk is jazzy with a tense sense of conflict about it. I couldn’t help but feel like things would boil over at any moment.

Get Snoopy, by contrast, is all chilled percussion and record scratches. Its groove is relentless. Flower Power 2 introduces some echoing acoustic guitar and brings with it a contemplative, spiritual melancholy. Trigger rounds off the EP with some bombast. Its bass is all-encompassing while lively drums drive things along and fuzzy guitar adds highlights. Each brings another dimension to the collection as a whole, creating something that feels both throwback and modern, and simply oozes with effortless cool.

POINT3NINE’s latest is a new chapter in an already impressive story. It’s fair to say that he’s flying under the radar but I think his work deserves some notice. I’m certainly a fan, and I’m likely going to put him in my collection next to another York Calling favourite, Morrison Reed. If you like moody, atmospheric lo-fi then I think you’ll dig his stuff as much I have.

High Rollin 2 is out now, available to buy at your own price on Bandcamp. You can check it out below.