Prophet: Don't Forget It | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- If it was possible for engineers and scientists to harness pure amounts of stoked-ness and in turn convert it into a useful energy source, my output in the lead up to Prophetʼs new record, well it would have easily filled up Elonʼs battery in South Australia many times over. 2018ʼs Wanna Be Your Man had me buzzing more than a four-year-old on an afternoonʼs worth of red cordial.

It was a tremendous double-tap, with Prophetʼs vocal charisma, production -manned by Midas touching stablemate MNDSGN- making up the bed for the vocals to croon upon and all put out by one of the most consistent labels, (Stones Throw, like you need to be told), to boot. With that context in mind, the departure of MNDSGN caused me to feel an undesirable hesitation. A more stark, more despondent palette on Donʼt Forget It makes an interesting gambit. It's less accessible but simultaneously solidifies Prophet as the sole creative force, an infallible song-writer.

A brief, disjointed introduction doesnʼt occupy much time to orient yourself before the title track is on us. Prophet maintains his casual elegance with an odd choice of beat. It conjures a feeling of a

moody mid-2000's alt-rock, but on the wrong side of self-indulgent. Thereʼs close to an hourʼs worth of new music here, and given the gaps in his back catalogue, I canʼt disparage Prophet for

releasing his work en-masse. It's just that -with this being a predominantly slow and more frowzy affair in terms of feel- pair the music with the grey album cover and it doesnʼt match the bombastic charm of its predecessor. Itʼs simply a grey feeling that bleeds through into the whole record: one

that paints the bleak, fragile hours between a euphoric night out and the day after the night before.

Be The One has a steady clap beat with a captivating piano line twirled around it. That line stands strong, its clean sound cutting through a murky mix. An added process in the vocals make them sound like a voicemail, the lyrics pleading for a night time tryst no to end.

Human Like and Game To Make Love rekindle some of the lost spark of joy from the previous record. The playful and fun energy was what made Wanna Be Your Man. That is twisted through the Don't Forget It's macabre filter on Game To Make Love, leaching out humanity with mechanical

percussion whomping the introduction and playing it off against an emerging, fluttering tone. Having that follow Human Like was a really interesting and engaging move. A lot of

the production is stripped back to a basic three elements; four if you were to include the vocals.

From the sheer variety of beats here, not all of the songs land. It took a shift in perspective to thoroughly enjoy this record. I initially approached it like it was a continuation of Wanna Be Your Man, and that expectation was confusing. The new albumʼs more downtrodden and the instruments are inherently less engaging but Prophetʼs vocals are still on point. Prophet steers

himself without the help of outside hands, and without that help though you get a bloated tracklist and run time. It's hard to be a prophet when you get lost inside yourself, but there's hope for the future here, because in amongst the endless, drab musings, you can hear the man creating a wholly different beast of music.

- Matt Lynch.
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