Manila Killa’s Debut Album “Dusk” Is the Apex of His Storytelling Mastery

Dusk is fleeting. Magical. Mysterious. Anything, after all, can happen after dark.

It’s this bridge between night and day that has become Manila Killa‘s muse, forming the framework of his long-anticipated debut album, Dusk. Bold and immersive, it succeeds as the apex of his craftsmanship.

Hope and longing, curiosity and resolve; 12 enchanting tracks fit to the lifecycle of this enigmatic witching hour. They contemplate what transpires once the sun dips below the horizon and into that place in-between, sight unseen.

Dusk is an opus that could only be told by Killa’s storytelling mastery. A range of dance-pop singalongs, future bass ballads and brooding melodic house breaks maintain a special class of emotional dynamism. Cinematic musical motifs like brisk drum sequences and pillowy synths pair with lyrics that expose as much as they explore. Not to mention a star-studded list of collaborators that counts EVAN GIIA, Panama, Lights and Kwesi.

Album opener “Soul” is where we start our journey, enraptured by the wonder of the sun’s last gasps. “Dusk” (with Lights) twinkles with the first sight of stars. The electricity of a club courtship after dark feels all too real on “Desire” (with MADI)—a surprising melodic techno showing—as does the tumultuous introspection of whirling city lights on “Liminal Spaces.”

We’re taken to the brink of epiphany on the album’s sole drum & bass song, “Take Me Higher” (with fknsyd), and dropped into love and heartbreak on “Best Part About You” (with GIIA). 

Lest we forget “Heart To The Night” (with Gioli & Assia and Night Tales), a poignant interplay that explopres the downfalls of pledging allegiance to darkness—to dusk. Reflection and resolution, Manila Killa vulnerably realizes, are what engender results. Arrestingly expansive, the album’s closer, “The End,” is when the spellbinding rays of dawn definitively appear. 

“I spent a lot of time during quarantine reflecting on what I wanted out of creating a full length album. I reached a realization that I wanted it to be a project that touched on all aspects of my inspirations and influences through dance music,” Manila Killa revealed in a press release. “I took a dance-music driven approach to the production, reaching back to my roots and channeling the feelings I got when I first started listening to dance music.” 

The hypnotic soundscapes and textured melodies of Dusk will lend themselves well to Killa’s upcoming North American tour, which will touch down in 15 cities to celebrate the album’s release. Tickets are on sale now. 

FOLLOW MANILA KILLA:

Facebook: facebook.com/manilakilla
Instagram: instagram.com/manilakillamusic
Twitter: twitter.com/ManilaKilla
Spotify: spoti.fi/3kUtj7A

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