EP Review: Maya Amolo's 'Leave Me at the Pregame'

Maya Amolo is part of a refreshingly multi-morphous group of Kenyan artists, many of whom have delivered colourful, congenial projects in the past year. One of these is Swami Sound’s It Is What It Is, EP, released in June this year, where Maya lends her crystalline vocals to one of the tracks, Mad Ting. 

For her solo break, Maya’s debut EP Leave Me at the Pregame is a slow contemplation of all the drama of a relationship at its tail end, chronicled with uncomplicated melodies over simple piano riffs. Two tracks from this EP, I Know and Jokes, were released in March and May respectively, and were suitably teaser-worthy for the journey that the EP is. Maya’s clear, sugary voice betrays the sting of the lyrics she sings, from the arcerbic “your kisses become tasteless” on the first track, Puddles, to “leaving you has never been so easy” on Grwth. Lush Green is a tranquil moment; Maya’s calm voice gently leads us through the EP’s oasis, bumping over a staccatoing percussion that punctuates each bar. For the last two tracks, Maya gives us a little more punch, a little more bite – if she was slowly finding her way through the start, Crashing is the threshold that releases Maya into the the sudden burst of athletic energy at the finish line that is Place and Time and Jokes. 

Minimal production gimmicks allow Maya’s voice, lilting, slow and careful on this EP, to shine through and to enchant. Leave Me at the Pregame is a gentle but solid start – Maya’s just getting warmed up. 

Stream Leave Me at the Pregame here.