A year after releasing her debut project Red Dragon, Uncle Waffles is here with her sophomore EP ASYLUM. A surprise 7 track project, that showcases her amazing ability to juggle tours across the world, a BBC residency and making new music. It’s another moment that sets Uncle Waffles apart and continues to propel to global stardom.
The latest project arrived on the back of a viral challenge for its lead single. Uncle Waffles’ first release of the year was the theme song for many a tiktok and it was a hit song way before it’s release. ASYLUM then arrived and went GOLD in South Africa within it’s first week of release.
As much as ASYLUM is Uncle Waffles’ project, it’s a collaborative effort, with Tony Duardo being her main collaborator. True to amapiano’s nature of shared ideas, the album has a total of 17 features. Although arguable what sounds better between ASYLUM and Red Dragon, it’s clear to see her latest body of work is a massive effort.
Amapiano has always been a genre of two main but undefined halves. The soulful side that’s often mid-tempo and gentle percussions that allow vocals to shine, and the upbeat side that features a loud bassline with a bit of funk like what characterised Uncle Waffles’ smash hit Tanzania. As a project ASYLUM is none of the above. It’s full of experimentation and in terms of first impressions it feels very hit or miss.
It’s either you’ll absolutely like it or you’ll consider it very mid (underwhelming) but as with anything new sonically, give it time and it will grow on you.
ASYLUM is the antithesis of Red Dragon. It has more raw and intense tone to the brightness and rapid tempo that sparked the success of her first project. The EP opens with the song Sghhubuhandro. It is a track that demands patience in it’s build up, but even when it reaches it’s peak you keep yearning for more. The climax feels like almost but never quite yet that somehow makes it’s 8 minutes go by even faster. Uncle Waffles collaborated with Shakes and Les to see this one through.
Yahyupppiyah, which dropped as the lead single comes next. It picks up with tempo and it’s characterised by ominous sounding chanting and an infectious rhythm. Yahyupppiyah has so far been the resounding commercial success from this EP and it’s easy to see why. Uncle Waffles collaborated with Tony Duardo, Justin99, Pcee, EeQue, and Chley for this instant hit.
In what’s now seemingly a signature trait on all her all projects, Morocco is named after another African nation in similar nature to the breakout hit from Red Dragon, Tanzania. The track is essence HipHop-piano, but it’s totally different from how the likes of Cassper Nyovest have moulded their cadence to fit the genre. Morocco is a distinctively HipHop flow over an Amapiano beat. At first it’s hard to grasp what’s going on, but after a moment you just have to go with.
ASYLUM is just an expression of new angles to Uncle Waffles’ music but it gives a platform to young rising artists. Scumie delivers an unblemished flow over Morocco’s mid-tempo beat and a song that sonically has dissonance in the beginning has a way of growing on you in the end.
SLS steps down the tempo a bit and the instrumental has a heavier nature to it. Uncle Waffles is joined by Shakes, Les and Ghost. It’s a song of bright keys and soft chants. The track moves us into Angry Birds, which takes it’s name from the popular kids game. Tony Duardo, 3TWO1 and Optimist Music ZA are with Waffles on this one. A song with smooth production. A serenading of sound that puts vocals on the back foot, with percussive instrumentation centre stage.
Babiee featuring Tony Duardo, Jelly Babiey and Chley, brings a bit of funk into the mix. It has jazz elements to it and is quite the experience sonically. Blue Tick closes out the project in the presence of DJ Stresser, Given Kanu, Vuyo Ndevu and CT MusiQ. It ends the project on a high note, with the moderate tempo and instrumentation that has characterised ASYLUM.
Uncle Waffles’ sophomore project is aptly named. An asylum is an institution that takes care of those not mentally fit to be in society on their own and the EP has songs that could equally be seen as misfits in the currently landscape of the Amapiano genre. It’s different and offers a new experience, which could be the sprouting of something new that could grow in brilliance or it could maybe be a misstep.
