It’s been a transformative year for Teisha Matthews, otherwise known as TSHA. The London based DJ has made her mark across the stages of Alexandra Palace, Glastonbury and curated her own residency at Ibiza’s DC-10 for Circoloco. Once found mixing hip-hop at her local club in Fareham, it’s certainly a story to tell.
A debut album now feels like the necessary step in TSHA’s career, encouraging a wider recognition that pictures her beyond the decks. ‘Capricorn Sun’ is a promising, and in fact successful, attempt. Across its 12 tracks, the project finesses its intricacies in production, building a sound palette that reaches far and wide in its geographic influence. Yet, it’s a pop-focussed listen that wholly embraces its vocal elements as a driving force, urging its crowds to join along, all as one.
Opening track ‘Galdem’ imbues a sense of longing in its piano keys and tense string sections, growing warmer as its house pulse emerges to the fore. Although shorter in its duration, there is a sense of journey that finalises as a celebration of friendship and empowerment, setting the tone for the following body of work. A familiar, candid voice note fondly illustrates: “I only believe in my own ‘sauce’ when I’m alone and I’m in my mirror and I’m dancing to either Beyonce or ‘Into You’”. It’s a deeply personal introduction that equally warms its listener, penning a love-letter to all the supportive galdem out there.
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Seamlessly merging into the poised chords of ‘The Light,’ the track leads with soulful, pitched-up vocals that evolves in its dynamics across the track. At first intimate, the slow-burner builds its backdrop with layers of steel pans, a subdued bass and drums, leaving its vocalist in the resonating distance. ‘OnlyL’ is an equally playful moment vocally, inviting the gentle tones of NIMMO, crafting them into a warped and trippy effect across its hook that teeters on the edge of what one would expect from the realms of hyper-pop.
A highlight across the project is ‘Water,’ a feel-good festival anthem that experiments with contrasting textures from start to finish. Meshing twinkling synths over the deeper, elongated bass lines, the track urges its listener to pay attention to detail, deconstructing its elements one by one. Speaking in Bambara, Oumou Sangare assures “a blessed child always finds his way in life.”
Similarly the lush ‘Time’ stands out, taking onboard 80s soul samples and re-assembling genres in new and interesting ways. It’s a welcomed interval from the emotional weight of the breakbeat slanting ‘Giving Up’ or ‘Anxious’, which at times can lose their poignance.
There is a sense that across the tracklist, TSHA navigates her crowds between day and night, summer into winter, hinting towards an ambitious all-rounder. It is. The project steps into a more commercial sound, all the while integrating the underground sonics that once formed her foundations. Malleable, accessible but equally polished and bold, ‘Capricorn Sun’ will no doubt propel TSHA into new environments and challenges.
8/10
Words: Ana Lamond
