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TUSH “Fantast” out now on Do Right Music

Emerging from the Toronto warehouse scene, Tush is a rising electronic music act powered by Kamilah Apong and Jamie Kidd. Taking inspiration from electro funk, early disco, post-punk and ‘90s house; their debut album Fantast embodies the rawness, vulnerability, and intimacy of the dancefloor.

Fantast kicks off with the slow burning Wavy Baby, an invitation to get close, get intimate and submit to the groove: “Vulnerability is the key to us getting to that next step of intimacy”. Up next is lead single Chrysalis, a high octane ride through a technicolour fantasy world of heady synths and driving rhythms that propel Kamilah’s voice into an erotic stratosphere. “The song is about knowing what you want and going after it no matter the cost”, Kamilah explains. “It’s 2021, in a damn pandemic! We don’t have time for polite modesty. Do what you need to do right now. Whatever is scary and wild and curious to you.”

Don’t Be Afraid is about having the courage to love defiantly, urgently, and with intention. Driven by Jamie’s infectious bass lines and FX blasts, it smoothly transforms into an uplifting gospel-infused track. The album also includes the Reprise version, which Jamie explains: “We built this on a simple 808 pattern, Rhodes chords, and field recordings from a forest we had explored earlier that day. These were the seeds that the full live version of ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ grew out of.”

The album is tied together by interludes that feature the strong women in Kamilah’s family from Black River, Jamaica, discussing bravery, fear, self-love and confidence. The interludes push us to reflect on what ‘Fantast’ means – an impulsive dreamer, that lives the reality of feeling magical, terrified, confident, hopeful, anxious, and brave – all at once.

Two high points of the album, Jessica F*** and Marathons, highlight Tush doing what they do best. These tracks are the sound of the warehouse scene that birthed the project in the first place and the late-night jam sessions that were full of possibility pre-pandemic. Here, Tush really stretch their improvisational muscles – the interplay of raw soulful vocals, hypnotic basslines, synth pads, and heavy disco rhythms is at the core of what makes them so invigorating. “We kept a lot of the demos that were live off the floor, recorded in one take, including the vocals.”

Fantast closes with the uplifting sunrise energy of My Joy, the light at the end of the tunnel. “This song is enchanted by the backing vocals of my friends and chosen family, who are my cornerstones to working through the wonderful mess that I am”. Kamilah adds “The track gives me this feeling that – no matter how hard the world tries to beat it out of me – I can and I have had to work hard to cultivate my own happiness in my own sacred spaces – one of those being Tush. Ultimately, this is all I really need”.

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