Anticodon Records (label)
24 February 2017 (released)
24 March 2017
A bubbling under the surface synth percolates up through the crackling city backbeat that introduces Agency's hot new single 'Experiment'. Silky vocals pick you up and lead you through chaotic streets. With the slick groove of Bruno Mars and Lenny Kravitz harmonies, the unnamed vocalist tells the tale of a tumultuous relationship. The drums get big and trashy but the narrator remains calm, just telling it like it is.
R&B group Agency has chosen to remain shrouded in mystery. Their debut album Identity is revealing in all ways save names and image. The group giving few details aside from their hailing from somewhere in Maine. The album's writing credits are just a vague “Agency: vocals and sounds”. For a genre that is driven by 'cult of personality' performers, Agency's anonymity comes as a welcome change, truly giving the music the spotlight. And it deserves it. Although the vocals croon with all the velvety smoothness you'd expect from an R&B project, the music and production take a step forward with creative loops and a shiny digital shimmer.
The lead single 'Join In' pushes off with an impassioned MLK quote and bounces on a dub backbeat. The reggae influence is there but not overbearing. The song calls for unity in the chorus “Can't we all join in”. 'Words' centres on a distant memory of a piano line. Digital bells like sprites, dance around the singer as he appeals to his muse. The gorgeous ode cuts off way too soon like a good memory slipping from your mind. Another highlight is the inventive penultimate track 'Sanctuary'. Creative looping and throbbing synths make for an enticing sonic landscape.
Identity embraces a new direction in R&B production while keeping the vocals old school. There's no drastic autotune or other manipulations. The vocals are pure soul. Piano can become such a tired trope in the genre with everything slipping into some sort of overdramatic ballad but Agency cut and splice lines to breed a new, interesting hybrid. This album definitely forges new ground in the realm of the satin song.
