After a decade in the making, producer and songwriter Lil Silva has just dropped his debut solo album ‘Yesterday Is Heavy’, a wonderful tour de force in production and lyricism. Showcasing a mastery of genres and what he describes as his “Silva Sound,” the Bedford native cements himself somewhere between uplifting and soulful, electro-tinged beats, and thumping hip-hop sounds, creating a smooth, confident, and exciting new ethos in the UK music scene.
Lil Silva is a master multi-tasker. Alongside his meticulous, ten-year-long creation of ‘Yesterday Is Heavy’, he’s produced for the likes of Adele, Mark Ronson, and Kano, to name a few. Not one to get sidetracked or stuck in the work of others, Lil Silva’s solo work finds his unique voice and production in full view, drawing in his own cult fanbase towards an impressive debut. His voice, or Silva Sound, is mature and contemplative, characterised by a stream-of-consciousness of someone trying to figure it all out, or as he says, someone who’s trying to live in the now. He is simultaneously in pursuit of clarity in an ever-changing world, while still remaining pensive on the decade worth of information he’s accrued across the EP’s creation. It’s a testimony to a career’s worth of lesson-learning: with an incredibly accomplished CV under his belt, he is still in pursuit of grounding himself in the present.
The tracks, despite oscillating between chilled and energetic, flow effortless across the record. Opening with standout, dance-inspired ‘Another Sketch,’ Lil Silva layers a delicate stream of self-correction over flitting, reverberating synths and swelling orchestral sounds, rising and falling across the track, leaving the listener with am emotion that isn’t exactly sadness or nostalgia, but deeply emotional nonetheless. ‘September’ equally showcase his unmatched production skills in creating a hypnagogic, mind-warping collage of seemingly discordant sounds.
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As well as showcasing a wide range of creative talent, Lil Silva enlists a powerhouse lineup of feature for ‘Yesterday Is Heavy’. BADBADNOTGOOD step in on the funk-heavy solo track ‘To The Floor’, while Little Dragon imparts her stunning vocal capabilities to ‘Be Cool.’ Skiifall packs a punch on ‘What If,’ with impeccable lyricism layered over deep, heavy hip-hop beats, and ‘End Now’ with serpentwithfeet is a perfect, pensive, and thoughtful closer to an explosive debut. The standout feature, of course, is the tripartite effort of Lil Silva, Sampha, and Ghetts on ‘Still,’ creating a perfect balance between Ghetts’ masterful flow and lyricism with Sampha’s outstanding vocal range.
Not one to rush, listeners are rewarded for their patience by such an impressive solo debut. ‘Yesterday Is Heavy’ is a bold, legitimising step for Lil Silva. While meditating on his solo introduction and observing from behind, Lil Silva invested in his own personal and artistic growth, nurturing a final project that is both delicate and explosive. Whether curating the voices of those around him, serving as the production-backbone of a track, or cultivating and polishing his own voice, Lil Silva delivers. If this is Lil Silva on his solo debut, then with the work and ethic he’s been fostering, the future is bound to be bright and exciting.
9/10
Words: Ruby Carter
