Los Angeles producer Ian Evans' Soundcloud user name is “gunsandsynths”, and the handle proves an apt description for the music he makes as Napolian. Incursio, his debut album for Daniel Lopatin and Joel Ford’s Software label, is a collection of electro-influenced instrumentals, ranging from lighthearted, disco-inflected dance groves to more hard-edged earphone music that plays like a toned-down combination of TNGHT and Blue Sky Black Death.
Evans has been on the scene for a couple of years now; his 2012 EP, Rejoice, showcased a different sound, one that resembled the webby, woozed-out R&B of Shlohmo and Clams Casino. Since then, he's made beats for A$AP Ferg and Kelela, developing a more focused sound along the way. What hasn't changed, though, is Evans' penchant for stuffing his music full of ideas, resulting in tracks that are deceptively complicated even at their most digestible.
Incursio translates to "attack" in Latin, and some of the album's standout tracks come across as aural assaults. The title of “DARPA” is a reference to an agency in the U.S. Department of Defense, and suitably, it's one of the most aggressive tracks on Incursio, a paranoid, drill-influenced screecher. Similarly aggressive tracks like “Principalities” and the bonus cut “Seal VI” bring to mind Kode9’s ideas about sonic warfare—these tracks are cutting and urgent, adrenaline-raising affairs. Evans remains a subtle beat-maker, though, even when he’s making the hair on your neck stand up, so focusing on his sonic layering proves most fascinating. He throws out new ideas at a speedy pace; on “W (Dub)”, a harmless, dubby loop is both bolstered and complicated by shifting xylophone melodies and a winding crank below the surface.
Incursio’s title and album art may give the impression that Evans has created a politicized beat-oriented record, but there are plenty of friendly sounds on the album that take aim at broader themes, including romance. The best of the love-focused songs is “Is It Love?”, a floating, synth-driven, electro track which brings to mind recent offerings from Lockah, or a chilled out Hudson Mohawke.
The most surprising moments on Incursio, however, are the tracks that deal explicitly with Christian faith. “1 Peter 1:3-4”, which refers to a bible verse in which the glory of Christ is praised, is a burbling electronic ode that sounds as if it’s drunk on itself. The title of “Ἰησοῦς” is a Greek rendering of Jesus’ name, and “Peace & Safety / Αἰφνίδιος Ολεθρος” refers to a verse in Thessalonians—but these light, synthy tunes aren't attempting to proselytize. Instead, they're intimate, pretty, and bubbly, recasting the notion of religion as personal and uplifting.
Incursio suggests an enormous amount of potential, but Evans still has a bit of work to do before he's able to project the dynamism of a more confident artist; there's practically two albums' worth of ideas here, but even as individual tracks are sharpened to a point, the dizzying array of concepts and modes feel overbearing and unfocused. Still, Incursio is a frequently exciting record, full of instrumental artillery that makes plenty of noise, even when it’s slightly off-target.
