Album review: Prins Obi, Notions

Chloe Mayne checks out the gorgeous debut record from Greek musician and neo-psychedelic gem Prins Obi:

Prins Obi is the adopted moniker of Greek musician George Dimakis. Not only is Dimakis a member of long-standing psychedelic gem Baby Guru, but he’s also a pharmacist. I’m always delighted to delve into the work of those with unexpected dabblings; I feel as though it adds a wonderfully curious shard to the sliver of self that gets projected into our hands. The starkness of the album’s cover is what immediately strikes me, though, drawing my fingers toward the monochrome sheen. It’s a simple self-portrait, gazing back with an indiscernible stare. I prop the cardboard up as I listen (is that creepy?) and I feel as though Dimakis is patiently watching, wordlessly noting changes in my body language as I flick through a few pages of his sonic diary.

Notions has a distinctly personal feel from the beginning; first track ‘Weekend Lovers’ opens with simple acoustic strums that melt gently into synthesised twirls. The record has a far reach, with some tracks spanning back almost a decade. The slow pace certainly pays off, with nothing coming across as rushed, scraped or forced. ‘Sorrow’ is an early highlight that demands a repeated listen, building slowly with tinkling piano bricks until it reaches a swooning flourish. It feels like stepping through a door and, with a gentle click, the hinges unlock a field of soft colour and warm sunshine splays across the cheeks.

What’s most striking about Notions is its continual metamorphosis. It’s impossible to pin it down; most of its components are brief and fleeting (aside from final track and ten-minute extravaganza ‘Naked Dancers Union’), drifting into one another but remaining steadfastly separate by putting up borders composed of delicate stylistic changes. Sure, this is pop, of the sweet and nourishing variety. It’s a lot more than that, though; tinged with psychedelic garnishes and lashings of electronica, it’s a complex web of sonic and emotional patterns that tickles the senses in all of the right spots.

You can find out more about Prins Obi or pick up a copy of Notions by heading along to the Inner Ear Records website.

Words by Chloe Mayne.