Little People - Landloper (Album Review)

All you need to kick back into the right state of mind sometimes is something that’s only just a little bit left-field. Something weird, but not entirely unfamiliar. That’s where Little People‘s new album Landloper comes in. Like an ocean of odd yet unquestionably beautiful sound, Little People’s Landloper provides for the perfect atmosphere to find yourself lost in.

The tagline of Little People is simple: “It's part beats, bleeps and snippets of other people's music.“ And while that may sound chaotic just to think about, there’s something to Little People’s music that shows his ability to unify a message. Opening track ‘Pdx‘ is frantic, often jarring piece of work, yet there’s an undeniable melody and drive to it amongst the wildness to that really bring things together. Some tracks are not so obscure: a funkier and more fun vibe (though with similar moments of chaos) is heard in ‘Skies Turn Blue‘ (with vocals by Tif Lamson) and even the punchy, flashy ending track ‘Sponk.’

There’s plenty of variety in Landloper that’ll help you find that right balance of immersion if other tracks don’t make the cut. ‘Embrace‘ featuring Rahel is more bubbly yet notably more dark, while the other Rahel feature - ‘All The Wonders‘ - has a much more wondrous vibe to it. ‘Tonight‘ has an atmosphere that sort of keeps spiraling out with synthy reverberations, while the chill of ‘Lozenge Less‘ is kept moving forward with a chill drive. Little People even makes efforts to uplift the listener in ‘Don’t Give Up.’ While variety does keep the album moving along, there are a few places where it does feel like time drags on in the music. especially nearing the end: ‘Slow Shimmer‘ has a punchy attitude to it, but that bark is lost in its long and slow run.

Little People’s Landloper is constantly at war with itself, trying to find the right balance between chaos and peace. In that middle section we find this eerie, if not engaging piece of work that is just disorienting enough to take us out of the world we’re used to. Even if it isn’t perfect, it definitely gets the job done.

Favorite Track: Skies Turn Blue

Least Favorite Track: Slow Shimmer

Rating: 67 / 100

Stream or buy Landloper on Apple Music, and follow our 2019 Playlist on Spotify: