Belonging

When he released his first solo EP, 2017s Spiritual Leader, drummer Ian Chang was already well-established in Brooklyns indie and experimental rock scene, playing in bands including Son Lux and Landlady. With a degree in jazz performance from NYU and a distinctive knack for playing loping, fluctuating rhythms just off the beat while keeping impeccable time -- a version of Chopins tempo rubato -- he had also begun to push boundaries in the realm of timbre by then. An early adopter of Sunhouses Sensory Percussion, his debut EP explored themes relating to man versus machine while essentially turning his acoustic drum kit into a synthesizer. Chang then relocated to Dallas, where he worked on his full-length debut, Belonging, in his home studio. Though it again utilizes Sensory Percussion, unlike the instrumental Spiritual Leader, it includes guest vocalists on some tracks for Changs first original songs. One such track is the under-three-minute Comfort Me featuring Kiah Victoria. An R&B-leaning tune, it combines Changs wonky percussion rhythms, a funky, melodic bassline, and atmospheric effects including fluttery, squeaky electronic loops and guitar. Kiah Victorias yearning, melismatic vocal lead gives the song an accessible, singalong-friendly stamp. The other featured spots include Kazu Makino from Blonde Redhead on the warped but more spacious Audacious, and a wordless Hanna Benn appears on the instrument sample-heavy Birds Tongue. On the strictly instrumental side, Zoetrope is a glitchy exercise in rhythm and texture featuring Son Lux bandmate Rafiq Bhatia on guitar. (Bandleader Ryan Lott mixed Belonging.) Taken together, its fascinatingly kinetic, and the occasional easygoing melodic hook helps take the edge off. ~ Marcy Donelson