Roland Tings: “First Wave”

Melbourne-based dance producer Rohan Newman, aka Roland Tings, returns with his new EP, entitled “First Wave”, after last year’s sun-soaked album “Salt Water”. Rather than following suit of the highly collaborative album that preceded it, “First Wave” signals a return to Newman’s instinctive and solitary approach to songwriting, the same ethos that guided him while crafting his earliest Roland Tings material.

Drawing inspiration from his coastal surroundings, the five-track “First Wave” EP is liquid, malleable and oil-slick. The sonic throughlines are clear: drum machines and 80s snare, swirling pads with rolls of bass, and glittering arpeggios that channel shimmering sea creatures under the water’s surface. Our first taste comes in the form of the EPs superb title track that captures the essence of the record, a feeling of euphoric come-up, inspired by a fleeting moment of beauty.

In his own words: “I was surfing alone mid-morning in a nice place in the bush. The sun was rising behind me. I looked down as I cut across the face of the wave I was riding and was amazed by its deep emerald-green shot through with sun. Fish were swimming along at the same pace against the sandy bottom. The sun was glinting off their silver bodies and they looked like mirrors shooting through the water.”

The “First Wave” EP arrives on August 14th via Cascine. Pre-order it here.