On his debut LP, also the first artist full-length on Bassbin, Breakage is in full stride. His mature, nuanced productions span a variety of moods, loosely bound by a dub reggae aesthetic. One starting point might be the legendary falsetto of Horace Andy, who croons a love ode over filtered strings, smoky atmosphere and mellow ruffneck vibes on “Morning Star,” and who accompanies the best rolling bassline of the album on “Ruff Dub” with Rohan. The most blunted moment is “Losing Track,” a weird existential tune that surges atop a warm heartbeat of a bassline, like a gasping last breath. “Lead Me On,” err, leads the album with a vertigo of hypnotizing vocals and densely layered breaks, shapeshifting into heavier snares and technoid growls. The last plate with “Untitled Jungle” and “Shadow” is more straightforward but still solid, perhaps taking pages from Digital and Dom + Roland. As a package we are left with little more than a collection of tracks, but nothing less than a major new work.

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Update: I neglected to mention the forthcoming CD release of this album which features a second disc of downtempo. The vinyl version reviewed above is the more DJ-friendly format. Be on the lookout for the CD in a couple weeks.