Album Review: Szymon - Blue Coloured Mountain

It’s a hard task listening to a new Szymon (pronounced Shim-on) release seven years after he tragically died. Blue Coloured Mountain is the second posthumous release curated by Szymon Borzestowski’s family and was created in the final months of his life. His debut album (also posthumous), Tigersapp, provided a lens into the rich world Szymon dreamed of, created by combining warm, timeless folk music with gentle electronic touches. It was deservedly dubbed an instant classic.

On Blue Coloured Mountain, Szymon took a massive leap forward, presenting a new style - one with a greater emphasis on grooves, added focus on electronics, and his dreamy falsetto front and centre. Yakuza, especially, with digital rhythms and flourishes of synths and keys, signalled where Szymon was heading. Returning to his folk roots, the devastating Orestes employs looped vocals and layers of instruments led by the shuffling beat of an acoustic guitar. Come Back Home ends the album on a high note, evoking a magical soundscape completely unique to Szymon.