Bay Area-based group known as 4amcollective started as a 4 man group some 5 years ago but is now a duo of Roberto Perez and Edwin Blaymar Monterrosa. The duo is now back in the saddle as they drop their latest EP i hope you hear this, which serves as their sophomore EP. The 6-track body of work is a collection of songs that tackle loss, the dynamics of love and the journey to self-awareness and acceptance of the facts.

The project starts with the sombre “Closure”, a barebones love ballad that dives into the aftermath of a breakup. The production is haunting and moody and is underpinned by rich melodic runs and heartfelt lyrics that depict the hurt emotions of a man dealing with heartbreak. The record is a slow burn ripe with heartfelt songwriting that gives audiences an entry into the duo’s emotional journey. The next track “Ghost” is introduced by a haunting vocal sample and thumping drums with ominous textures and is peppered by soothing vocal runs and reflective lyrics like “I can’t believe I gave you all my soul/Thought you were the one till your heart turned cold/I don’t wanna hurt, baby leave me alone”. The duo takes listeners deep into the lingering love between two individuals and how being apart is tearing them up but the opposite might even be more disastrous. This is followed by “C’est La Vie” which continues the tale and here they pontificate on the good times and how things turned so bad that it’s hard to show love again. At this point, audiences are given a clear picture of the situation and how the emotions run amok as the duo tries to walk away from it all.

On “Deja Vu”, the vibe switches into a smooth afrobeats drum groove with a touch of future R&B aesthetics. The dark sombre keys add the emotional oomph alongside the airy vocal runs and expressive songwriting. “Slowly” employs a rich guitar pluck, heavy bass-driven grooves and atmospheric textures that exude that classic R&B vibe. Here, they deliver a sultry sexy tune about taking things with baby steps and the final track “I Get It Now” brings everything full circle with its conclusive theme. The track has a summer evening vibe with its fusion of early 2000s R&B elements with dark strings and modern contemporary textures. Here, the emotions reach a full stop as they come to a sort of an impasse with nowhere to go but far from each other. In a nutshell, the ups and downs of this relationship have taken its toll on their emotional bandwidth and the best thing is to sever ties and move on.

Overall i hope you hear this feels like a semi-autobiographical account of one’s journey through this thing called love. They cherish the great moments, reflect on what went wrong and why and reach a conclusion at the end. Need I say more, this is another solid addition to your R&B playlist.