Six tracks of liquid R&B and deconstructed club music. A reverse-chronological autopsy of a relationship told through icy synths and breathy, layered vocals.
It’s like a futuristic R&B breakup album that plays in reverse and sounds like it was recorded underwater.
A sophisticated blend of late-night longing and icy digital detachment.
Released in 2015 on Warp Records, Hallucinogen served as the bridge between Kelela’s breakout mixtape Cut 4 Me and her debut full-length Take Me Apart. The EP is a conceptual work that tracks the arc of a romantic relationship in reverse, beginning with the aftermath of a breakup on 'A Message' and ending with the initial spark of attraction on 'The High'. This structural choice adds a layer of tragic irony to the listening experience, as the music grows more ecstatic and hopeful even as the listener knows where the story ends. Produced by a vanguard of electronic musicians including Arca, Kingdom, and DJ Dahi, the EP solidified Kelela’s reputation as a curator of cutting-edge sound. Critics praised the record for its ability to synthesize disparate influences - 90s R&B, UK bass, and ambient music - into a cohesive and deeply personal aesthetic. It remains a definitive document of the 'alternative R&B' movement.
Put this on for
Blue light from a phone screen illuminating a dark bedroomRain streaking the window of a late-night UberSub-bass vibrating through the floorboards of a half-empty clubHeadphones on and eyes closed to block out the morning commuteSlow-motion movement through a crowded room where you know no oneCold air hitting your face after leaving a basement partyTracing the outline of a memory that hasn't quite faded yet
Moments worth waiting for
The way the percussion on Rewind mimics the frantic heartbeat of a new crush.
The sudden, jarring silence that punctuates the atmospheric drift in A Message.
The slow, agonizing build of The High that feels like a physical ascent into a haze.
