The message in Heights is simply put: don’t be afraid of falling.
LYRICS/MESSAGE
Wes Harris’s latest EP, Heights, is a lyrically refreshing work of art that should be listened to with some anticipation. The Christian references are a bit vague, but it isn’t forced. It comes with hooks that make it relatable no matter what religious or philosophical background a listener may come from. Harris uses relatable pop references to describe the excitement and challenges that come with going through new experiences such as their faith, the pressures of success, the fear of failing, and the uncertainty that comes with living; simply put, Harris has managed to describe all of this in under 14 minutes. The different analogies used to describe heights, such as turbulence, altitudes, helium, and free falling, are great ideas for imagery making each track a worthy listen!
COMPOSITION/PRODUCTION
Musically speaking the EP is refreshing. The stacks and harmonies are excellent and the grooves for each track has its own personality leading the song order to be very well done.
Although the lyrics are vague it’s easy to tell that Harris is narrating a story instrumentally. This EP contains sub genres of urban music, such as hip hop, spoken word, rap, and trap. This project cleverly uses familiar urban styles with repetitive cadences and melodies for the songs to be memorable and keep the listener intrigued during the session.
ALBUM ARTWORK
The artwork is tasteful and has an appeal that would pique a person’s interest.
MIX/MASTER & SESSION
The mix quality of the project is clean making the body of work good enough for a listening session.
The only drawback to the project is it’s sound is too expected. The expectation is not necessarily a bad thing but it’s one of those reminders that mixing matters when working on an indie recording project.
Considering where Harris would want to go with his music professionally, good mixing also includes the right choice of hardware such as microphones for vocals and location of recording. The right mic and EQ per location changes the quality of the vocals so it doesn’t sound too hollow and it pops more when necessary to hide the fact that vocals may or may have not been recorded in a home. Therefore, the mixing fails to offer an unforgettable experience. However, this is a great EP for an individual session. Since this project might be meant for a spiritually individual experience the mix is fine when on headphones. That being said, this project doesn’t give the vibes of a group worthy session.
It’s possible that this may have been Harris’s intention which brings some hope to the overall rating. If Harris’s intent were for the project to be for a group session, the low, mid, to high ends really do matter for the sake of the front end pop and the back end filling out the hollow spaces in the mix.
Overall I think this artist is up to a great start. Although the session was not a mind blowing spiritual experience, as the title of one of his tracks says, “It’s only up from here.”
I look forward to more of his work in the future.
Rating 6.8/10
Lyrics/Message: 6.5
Composition/Production: 7
Mix/Master: 5.5
Artwork 8
Session: 7
Wes Harris “Heights” Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/7bJBmPZLJio0jlKM4HTIIR?si=5Yg-6oUXTIGDYv9tQdnQMA
Wes Harris Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imwesharris/
Take a listen