Quiet., Q., makes music that combines elements of soul, hip-hop, and a modern interpolation of folk all in one. Truly, genre finds no real category on ‘stages.’. But, what Quiet. does do consistently and perhaps exceptionally is consistently narrate stories that are deeply personal to himself. The Scarborough based song-writer is incredibly vulnerable and introspective with his lyricism and evocation across this record, regaling stories that you can tell are coming from his own experience with love, loss, and anxieties. You can tell there’s a whole lot of work gone into this record, both a culmination of his own emotional labour alongside tearing down his own walls and laying it for full display to his ever growing audience.
‘stages.’ is one of the most therapeutic records I’ve heard lately. Writing this article while going through the record deep into the hours of the night where you have nothing but your own thoughts had me finding myself a bit more. I was able to relate to the experiences he’s narrating on tunes like ‘Your Name in my Phone’ and ‘Scared to Fall’, having felt or shared these same rather universal but seemingly deeply personal moments.
There isn’t a weak track to be found on ‘stages.’. It’s a remarkably cohesive record from back to front, with the melodies alone being a perfect groove for your late night emotional needs. If you’re going through something and you need some art to pull you out of a hole, or at the very least lending a helping hand, look no further. Q. is an artist to keep on your watch.