Synthetic Soul

Synthetic Soul is the debut extended play by Canadian experimental soul band Chiiild. It was released on February 28, 2020, by Avant Garden and Island Records.[1] The EP exemplifies the band's blend of soul, r&b, psychedelia, jazz, indie, and pop.[2][3] It also features a sole guest appearance from Zimbabwean American singer and songwriter Shungudzo.

Synthetic Soul
EP by
Chiiild
ReleasedFebruary 28, 2020
Genre
Length22:34
Label
Producer
Chiiild chronology
Synthetic Soul
(2020)		 Hope for Sale
(2021)
Singles from Synthetic Soul
  1. "Count Me Out"
    Released: July 31, 2019
  2. "Back to Life"
    Released: September 13, 2019
  3. "Darling"
    Released: November 13, 2019
  4. "Hands Off Me"
    Released: January 22, 2020

Release and promotion

Synthetic Soul was officially released for digital download and streaming on February 28, 2020, by Avant Garden and Island Records.[1] A short documentary film of the same name—shot by Peter Hou at Wild Studio, in Saint-Zénon, Quebec—was released on May 14, 2020.[4] The film exhibits the remote haven in which the EP was created and introduces the band's empirical approach to songwriting.

Singles

"Count Me Out" was released on July 31, 2019, as the EP's lead single.[5] It received world premiere support from Rory Farrell on the The Joe Budden Podcast.[6] The EP's second single, "Back to Life", featured Shungudzo and premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show on September 13, 2019.[7] "Darling" was released as the third single on November 13, 2019.[8] The fourth single, "Hands Off Me", was released on January 22, 2020.[9]

On July 22, 2020, a stripped version of "Pirouette" was released as a promotional single.[10] It was synced on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, airing on the seventeenth season's fifth episode, "Fight the Power," on December 10, 2020.[11]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Synthetic Soul's sound was widely acclaimed by music critics. In speaking about the band's artistry, Krista Apardian of Ones to Watch proclaimed that the EP's "delicate balance of smooth retro soul, psychedelia, and modern R&B" produced "an entrancing mix of old and new."[12] Writing for Lyrical Lemonade, Lucas Garrison commended the EP's introspective lyrics, claiming that "[Chiiild] really succeed in blending experimentation with emotion."[13] While commenting on the saturation of experimental R&B in indie music, Dominiq Robinson of HotNewHipHop positively distinguished Synthetic Soul's textural production—calling it a sonic "blueprint" in the use of "ambient synth pads, funky basslines, lo-fi drum sequencing, and reverb-heavy vocals".[14]

In addition to Synthetic Soul's positive reception, Chiiild has been listed as an "Artist to Watch" by media outlets such as Pigeons & Planes,[15] The Line of Best Fit,[16] Paste Magazine,[17] Exclaim!,[18] and Spotify's global emerging-artist program, RADAR.[19]

Accolades

"Hands Off Me" was shortlisted for Triple J's Hottest 100 on December 8, 2020.[20] On December 15th, Chiiild received their first Song of the Year nomination, for "Pirouette", at WTB's inaugural We The Beat Awards. They were announced as the winners of the award on December 28, 2020.[21]

Year-end lists for Synthetic Soul
Publication List Rank Ref.
COMPLEXCA Best Canadian Albums of 2020 11
[22]
Time Out Montréal Best New Montreal Albums of 2020 3
[23]
Cult MTL Top 10 Albums of 2020 3
[24]
TECO APPLE The 10 Best EPs of 2020 3
[25]
NEXT Magazine Top 20 Canadian Albums of 2020
N/A
[26]
KIND Magazine Best Albums To Vibe To 2020
N/A
[27]

Track listing

EP credits adapted from Tidal.[28]

Synthetic Soul track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Count Me Out"
3:27
2."Back to Life" (feat. Shungudzo)
  • xSDTRK
  • Rioux
3:42
3."Hands Off Me"
  • Ayal
  • Rioux
  • Dunn
  • Malyon
  • Govere
  • xSDTRK
  • Rioux
3:45
4."Darling"
  • xSDTRK
  • Rioux
2:44
5."Pirouette"
  • xSDTRK
  • Rioux
2:57
6."Sunday Morning"
  • xSDTRK
  • Rioux
3:12
7."Easy on Yourself"
  • Ayal
  • Rioux
  • Dunn
  • xSDTRK
  • Rioux
2:44
Total length:22:34

Personnel

Personnel credits adapted from AllMusic.[29][30]

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label UPC Ref.
Worldwide February 28, 2020 (2020-02-28) digital download • streaming Avant Garden • Island 6-02508-28947-7 [1] [31]

References
  1. "Synthetic Soul by Chiiild on Apple Music". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  2. Ayal, Yonatan (3 October 2019). "Chiiild's Synthetic Soul Sound Takes Inspiration From Many Genres". Vocalo Radio (Interview). Interviewed by Sandra Treviño. Audio produced by Fyodor Sakhnovski. Chicago: WBEW.
  3. Shah, Deep. "Chiiild - Count Me Out". COLORSxSTUDIOS. COLORS Media. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  4. "Avant Garden - Artist Deck: Chiiild". Avant Garden Records. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  5. Crook, Oliver. "Today's Song: Chiiild's 'Count Me Out' Is, To Put It Simply, Fiiire". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  6. Budden, Joe; Clay, Jamil; Farrell, Rory. The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory & Mal. The Joe Budden Podcast. Spotify. Retrieved July 31, 2019. Episode Title: The Joe Budden Podcast Episode 267 | 'Ahoy Mans'
  7. Frometa, RJ. "CHIIILD Shares New Single 'Back To Life' ft. Shungudzo". Vents Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  8. Brown, Bianca. "Chiiild's 'Darling' Is a Hallucinogenic Heirloom of Love". Ones to Watch. Live Nation Entertainment. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  9. Robles, Jonathan. "Listen to Chiiild's Mesmerizing New Single 'Hands Off Me'". Variance Magazine. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  10. "'Pirouette (Stripped)' - Single EPK". Avant Garden Records. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  11. "Grey's Anatomy · S17E05 · Fight the Power". Tunefind. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  12. Apardian, Krista Marina. "Chiiild Will Have You Hopping on Their 'Synthetic Soul' Train". Ones to Watch. Live Nation Entertainment. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  13. Garrison, Lucas. "Synthetic Soul – [Chiiild]". Lyrical Lemonade. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  14. Robinson, Dominiq. "Chiiild's 'Synthetic Soul' Is Psychedelic R&B At Its Finest". HotNewHipHop. Urbanlinx Media. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  15. Moore, Jacob; Gardner, Alex; Wines, Tiffany; Siber, Alex. "Best New Artists of the Month (September)". Pigeons & Planes. Complex Networks. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  16. Bennett, Ty. "On the Rise: Chiiild". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  17. Manno, Lizzie. "The 30 Canadian Artists You Need to Know in 2020". Paste. Paste Media Group. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  18. "9 Emerging Canadian Artists You Should Hear in April 2020". Exclaim!. Exclaim! Media. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  19. "RADAR Canada: Artists to Watch 2021". Spotify. Spotify Technology S.A. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  20. "Triple J's Hottest 100 - 2020 Shortlist" (PDF). Triple J's Hottest 100. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  21. "2020 We The Beat Awards". We The Beat. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  22. Gheciu, Alex; Cowie, Del; Wilson, Sumiko; Bottineau, JJ. "The Best Canadian Albums of 2020". COMPLEX Canada. Complex Networks. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  23. Manoli, Sasha. "The Best New Albums That Came Out of Montreal In 2020". Time Out. Time Out Group. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  24. "These Are the Best Albums of 2020 (Erik Leijon)". Cult MTL. Cult MTL Media. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  25. "Os 10 Melhores EPs de 2020" [The 10 Best EPs of 2020]. Teco Apple (in Portuguese). MTV Brasil. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  26. Hollett, Michael, ed. (3 December 2020). "NEXT Magazine Canada (December 2020 Issue)". No. 1. Canada: Issuu. p. 32-33. Retrieved December 17, 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  27. Kaplan, Ben, ed. (23 November 2020). "KIND Magazine Canada (December 2020 Issue)". No. 5. Canada: Issuu. p. 72-73. Retrieved January 12, 2021. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  28. "Chiiild / Synthetic Soul / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  29. "Synthetic Soul Overview". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  30. "'Pirouette' Credits". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  31. "Synthetic Soul - Digital Download". Schoolkids Records (MP3 Album). Item #9013943538. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
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