Instrumental albums, in our opinion, require a different and somewhat unique metric to measure. One has to be, to some extent, open-minded and have a diverse taste in music to begin with, and with that being said, what we have here is an interesting body of work titled Fridge from an emerging music composer/producer who goes by the moniker Dry. The 4-track project serves as a precursor to a forthcoming full-length album, allowing fans to have a taste of what is to come.
From the first listen, one can say Dry is a man who wears many hats and has a wide taste for different musical styles. He goes from modern soul, retro-tinged funk progressions to off-beat contemporary pop with alternative hip-hop flair. To be honest, that doesn’t even cover most of the styles he attempts on this project. The first song, “Fridge,” has a catchy recurring chord motif that plays like a mantra on the chorus section, and it’s rephrased on the verse section in a unique sample rearrangement style. The drums here have an electronic drum kit feel and sound extra clean and crisp, so much so that you can hear every single frequency of the snare, hi-hat and drum kick as they drive the track alongside the top melody. This is followed by the equally groovy “Coffee,” with a slick bass guitar riff that transitions from prominent to minor changes as the track moves along. The overall feel of the song is reflective due to the rich keys that straddle alongside the mellow strings, evoking the feeling of being awake and lost in thought. We then move on to the plucky sounds on “Lemon Lime,” which is punctuated by a bright synth lead, a flute-like texture and punchy drums. Dry also throws in a short scratch fx alongside the chord jazz motif. The track continues to grow as he brings in new elements like futuristic pads reminiscent of electro R&B tracks popular in the 80s. I will add that this track has a video-game vibe as well and will not sound out of place on a new Sonic Adventure game. The final track, “Energy Drink,” lives up to its title with a heavy drum groove, rich keys that play off each other with tension and resolution. The arrangement is quite clever and changes slightly every 4 bars before the main chorus comes into play. The overall feel is not intrusive but rather subtle and alluring, and it’s sure to be a solid way to close the project.
To end this, Dry has an unexpectedly cohesive project in Fridge, which at 11 minutes is way too short. Dry sticks to what he knows, and one can tell, he loves music and is ready to push above and beyond to deliver to the world his best.
Tags:Dry
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