Released - November 2021
Label - NQ Records
Another member of the elite that is quietly rising within the glorious renaissance of UK R&B, Manchester’s Akemi Fox presents ‘Carry On’ - her first release since the highly credible ‘Colour You In’ EP, a collaboration with long time producer Teo that dropped in December last year.
A favourable trait in an artist is almost certainly continuity, a characteristic often difficult to maintain for singers who battle for high quality beats from producers who are at once emotive and credible. This however has not proved an issue for Akemi Fox who continues her relationship with Teo for the lovelorn ‘Carry On’.
Whereas the messages on ‘Colour You In’ were predominantly expressing an adoring and healthy love, ‘Carry On’ presents a poetically evolved perspective that queries the tribulations of the further stages of a relationship. This level of honesty provides a sorely missed empathy for those of us very much in love with our partners yet often left struggling to blindly navigate the experience of shared existence. These ageless aggravations find us seeking counsel outside of the relationship, often painting unfair and inaccurate pictures of our partner. “Didn’t you fix it quick?
Didn’t need all of this,
And it shows babe,
I can’t think straight,
I went to call my friends,
Had to tell them again,
I don’t like that,
When you talk back...”
Sonically ‘Carry On’ maintains the drifting clouds of chords of ‘Colour Me In’; they merge the intervals into swole yet buoyant progressions as carefully articulated drums simultaneously propel the track whilst almost swinging with a pendulum like uncertainty. Subtle additions of choral and wah guitar dart in and out, seemingly expressing the unfortunate ticks of annoyance that it seems are an unavoidable aspect of a long term relationship. Yet at base, ‘Carry On’ begs we drop these destructive habits, in favour of remembering the perfectly imperfect person we submitted our heart to so long ago.
"I already notice,
my love of you feels closet,
I forget that we can both be wrong..."