Heavensouls Turns Breakbeat Chaos Into Crystal on Cantu of the Sower

Heavensouls' six-track project Cantu of the Sower arrives on 7 October via NTS Recordings, and The Guardian has already flagged it as one of the week's best new tracks.

The artist splits roots between Biafra, Nigeria and Texas, USA, and the Guardian's critics suggest listeners of Los Thuthanaka, Jpegmafia and DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ as the natural audience for this material. The comparison set signals what is coming: blown-out noise, hyperactive stylistic shifts and breakneck rhythms, delivered at a pace that does not let up.

The Guardian's review acknowledges the challenge head on. "Many listeners might find blown-out noise, hyperactive stylistic shifts and breakneck rhythms a hellish prospect, and fair enough," the critic writes. But the piece argues for a different reception among a particular kind of listener. "But for a certain stripe of sensory freak, such swarming intensity can tip over into a state of heady relaxation."

That tension — between assault and sedation — defines the appeal the Guardian identifies in Cantu of the Sower. The review describes the six songs as glittering "like rich seams of rare crystal," tracking a sound that billows from arcade glitter to compression-straining bass, from sprite-like playfulness to warm, rushing brass.

The textures collide rather than blend. Languid trumpet lines float over trash-compactor crunch. Sugary breakbeats climb to what the reviewer calls "tweaky maximalist peaks." The prose itself captures the whiplash: images of crystal, brass and crushed metal sit side by side, each clause swapping the palette.

The reviewer's verdict on the whole is unguarded. "I don't know about you, but I could bathe in it," the piece closes — a striking image for music built on the very qualities most listeners would run from.

Heavensouls earns the label "ultra-prolific" in the Guardian's framing, with Cantu of the Sower described as the artist's "latest project" rather than a rare outing. The release lands on NTS Recordings, the label arm of the London radio station, giving the record a home aligned with its experimental instincts.

The full playlist feature, published by The Guardian on 2 October, rounds up the week's best new tracks beyond Heavensouls alone. For listeners who take the recommendation, 7 October marks the date the six songs of Cantu of the Sower become available in full.