Listen to “Damaged” by Leo Bhanji
Leo Bhanji’s electronic R&B feels blurred around the edges, with scruffy production and verses rapped in an ASMR-esque murmur. The 20-year-old London artist’s disjointed style is part of the allure of his Birth Videos EP, especially the shapeshifting highlight “Damaged.” As a choral sample floats over shuffling drums, footsteps, and the occasional stray guitar chord, the song’s disparate parts slowly drift into focus. “I sleep with my eyes open/Dream of the black behind my eyelids/I stay learning hard ways,” he intones in a wounded stream of consciousness that evokes King Krule’s shrugged-off, mumbling flow. Bhanji’s anguished search for peace of mind is more vividly restless: In the final minute, he switches styles, shifting to muffled breaks, keys, and a nostalgic vocal line that’s barely discernible under the noise. “Damaged” is an emotive and absorbing listen, eager to explore whatever chopped-up sound wanders into Bhanji’s head next.