Mohan Kumar has had big plans for his sci-fi-inspired solo project Hautewulf since it got off the ground earlier this year. In fact, he has gone so far as to create a whole sci-fi universe, complete with stories and characters and everything else. The music is a part of this undertaking; his new EP ‘Addicted’ deals with his world’s narrative of taking drugs and ascending to another plane, bro and how detrimental it is. Considering it is a shade more than twelve minutes of music and a lot of it sets up atmosphere and mood, it does seem more like a companion piece to the story than a discrete release of music. But even if you take it as that, it showcases top production, evocative soundscapes, and a few genre jabs you might not see coming.

The first track ‘Cravings’ isn’t much but its strength is in the world it kind of alludes to. The electronic elements are quite stirring but the front-and-centre piano is what does the job. It’s warm, a bit melancholy and bittersweet and can easily be listened to just by itself. ‘Different Realities’ features bassist Sonic Shori and has a bit of jazzy gymnastics that’s set against some old-school synths and keys. It’s an interesting combo that’s made much better by the song’s stellar last third. ‘Consequences’ obviously represents a shift in the narrative into oh my god something’s wrong and accomplishes this with a ticket to synth arpeggio-town, drums that are torn between glitch and DnB, and a jarring synth line that repeats until it hurts. It’s all to serve the story, probably, but the thing about ‘Addicted’ is that it can be enjoyed without context too. That’s good.

Listen to 'Addicted' here.