CRUDANLU

Every great artist tells a story, and Miami-based producer and live performer CRUDANLU’s emotive experimentations tell a story 16-plus years in the making. The first-gen American got his musical start playing bass guitar in jazz and metal bands, then honed his songwriting skills in the electronic dance scene. For nearly two decades, he explored various genres and styles until he discovered a means to mix his Nicaraguan & Cuban background into the left-field textures and atmospheric melodies that inspire him. The result? A signature sound that captures the beautiful chaos of his mind and lived experiences into something all at once relatable and unpredictable. This style comes to life on his debut EP, Terra Firma. Its five tracks explore cyclical journeys with mental health struggles, heartbreak and a recent anxiety diagnosis, telling a deeply human story of coping while infusing his elegantly jarring compositions with a rhythmic sense of grounding. Hidden between its off-kilter elements of future bass, hyper pop beats and idiosyncratic complex synth structures is his own musical history. Terra Firma is a highly-conceptual work of precision. The story is told backwards, starting with the bloom of a new dawn and working backwards to the root of the cycle. Mixed and mastered by Grammy winner Daniel Furbzz Nuñez, the EP shines with clever twists and dynamic range. It’s a bold step into a fully realized era for an artist with a story to tell. -Kat Bein