Wassko broke ground and hearts with his debut EP, Figured You’d Care, featuring the heartbreak hit of a standout single, Not Around. With a sonic signature that scribes itself between the Weeknd and The Midnight, Wassko reached the pinnacle of RnB-infused synth-pop style in Not Around, which becomes a dualistic lesson in sincerity with the vocal contribution from Rama, who gave the other side of the love story where elusiveness has severed the connection.
Even though the Haifa-residing artist only made his debut with his genre-melding sound, which frequently borrows from RnB, hip-hop, soul, EDM, and punk, last year, he’s already well on his way to establishing himself in the industry.
His 2023 EP is a testament to how honed his skills have become; it takes a fine balance of songwriting dexterity and sonic engineering to visualise such a complicated yet perfectly-rounded hit that paints raw emotion in kaleidoscopic colour, instead of the black and white lenses which are typically used to orchestrate love songs.
Not Around was officially released on June 30; stream it on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast