‘The Melancholiac II’ is not a record for everyone; a long, leftfield and nuanced offering, the album is a truly personal work of art, delving into JSDAVANI’s lifetime-long struggles with addiction and depression. In fact, describing such a self-reflective, avant-garde piece is equally not easy too – one must remember that such records need to be experienced, need to be felt personally.
That’s exactly what we did. Slowly exploring the whopping twenty tracks contained in ‘The Melancholiac II’, we found ourselves catapulted into a dark, hazy sonic journey, a constellation of sonic fragments spanning from long abstract textures to solid electro stylings, passing through lo-fi samples and the occasional spoken word feature. It’s a unique, quirky listening experience that’s bound to evoke a reaction in the final user, perhaps even confusing them.
What one needs to remember though, is that ‘The Melancholiac II’ is first and foremost a cathartic outlet for JSDAVANI’s conflicted personal history. In a way, it’s a glimpse into its unrequited soul, still fighting for a resolution to this day. As he explains: “Originally it was just going to be about depression but then everything else developed in a more meaningful way, for me… it was a truly cathartic and raw experience for me…”
Recommended! Discover ‘The Melancholiac II’ on Spotify: