Multi-talented artist Chris Wheat is a man who wears many hats. With a degree in philosophy and public affairs and an interest in sustainable change, Chris now ventures into music to get his message to a wider reach. His latest effort Everyone Wants To Be Archibald Leach (The Early Years) is a conceptual and experimental project that explores the dynamics of modern society and human relations. He is currently working on a forthcoming hip-hop-related arts documentary and narrative films in addition to previously published novels.

The 5 track project starts with the eye-popping title “I Was Once Welcome In Church”, a dark moody piece comprising sparse rhythms, woozy synths and stabs laced with breathy vocals that echo the sentiments in the title. The next track “Beauty In The Sun” explores the concept of beauty, loyalty and self-love. The production uses a lush pedal-driven guitar lick with distorted textures underpinned by Chris’ edgy vocals. The mix is quite harsh and has a live feel but all in all, it is bold and completely strays from the norm. Chris goes for yet another off-kilter sound on “Princess Exemption (4-F)”. It starts with a rousing off-beat vocal performance with a dark unpolished guitar arrangement that serves as the backdrop to Chris’ fusion of rap and singing. Here, he shows a devil-may-care attitude with lines like “Plenty people told me stick to beats and never spit but I ain’t feeling shit, not even a little bit” before breaking out into a discordant melodic run.

“Welcome To The 4-F’s (Ma’am)” begins with a pulsating bass synth and panned laser blips that soar into a rock-infused guitar lick and distorted vocal performance. Chris embodies the spirit of post-punk, industrial edginess with a modern twist. As he states on the track, he welcomes us into this dystopian world where irreverent demeanour is used to go against the powers that be. The “final track Smoke Break, To Be Continued” employs a classic soul sample that hiphop heads would recognize. Chris’ knack for reverberated sampling techniques is a mainstay of the project and in this track, he ramps it up a notch. The snares hit hard and left a sustaining trail while the pitched-down sample evokes a sobering, nostalgia-inducing feel.

Overall, Everyone Wants To Be Archibald Leach (The Early Years)  is hard to box in and audiences are treated to a plethora of sounds with a nonconformist approach.

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