Night Creature
Since Maya Jane Coles broke through with her 2010 underground hit “What They Say,” the UK DJ/producer has proven herself a remarkably versatile musician. While she’s best known for deep house, her talents extend to moody downtempo, brooding dubstep, and sleek electro-pop. (You can even add hip-hop to that list, indirectly: Nicki Minaj sampled “What They Say” on 2014’s “Truffle Butter.”) The common denominator of all Coles’ work is its shadowy sensibility, and on *Night Creature*, her third album, she delves into the darkness. On 2017’s *Take Flight*, Coles’ previous album, she lavished attention on the slower end of the spectrum, but with *Night Creature* she focuses on club energy. The title track leads off the record with bass-heavy breakbeat house; “True Love to the Grave” is an eyes-closed after-hours anthem; and singles “Survival Mode” and “Need” have festival season written all over them. Coles still shows plenty of range; “Run to You” reimagines Lana Del Rey-style Americana for a club context, and “Devil’s Dance” is a stormy dubstep/techno hybrid. Toward the album’s end, she eases into comedown mode on trip-hop highlights “Come With Me” and “Slooow Jam.” Mostly, though, *Night Creature* is a demonstration of Coles’ dance-floor acumen, in which a simple equation holds true: The darker the atmosphere, the heavier the groove.
Musical enigma Maya Jane Coles' latest release 'Night Creature' is an almighty return. Once again, the club figure impresses with a DIY