Cocoelusive’s intimate, enchanting R&B runs deep on her new EP ‘In Neptune’. In tribute to the planet governing her rising sign, the artist born Nance Brito channels the intuition, inspiration, and depth Neptune is known for. While three of the EP’s six tracks have already been released, the three held back have just as much gravitational pull as early singles ‘LoveJam’, ‘D.A.G.O.’, and ‘Your Ways’. Full of slick, carefully selected grooves and hypnotic melodies, the newest tracks slot right into place, completing the picture of an artist intuitively exploring her interior world through cultivating her sound.

The star of this project is Cocoelusive’s voice: the rich tone; the textured edge; and the prolific talent for writing hypnotic melodies in endless variation seen in SZA’s early drops. Tracks rise and fall from hook to hook, each as magnetic as the next. On opener ‘LoveJam’, Cocoelusive anchors her vocal with a strong guitar vamp as she transforms each of her reflective, stream-of-consciousness lyrics into shifting, swirling melodies. This push and pull between improvisational flow and hooky vamps keep the vocals constantly exciting. On album standout ‘EGOS’, Cocoelusive leans back into the groove, switching up tantalizingly slow melodies and rhythmic harmonies. The artist was very intentional with this balance, wanting her first record “to make listeners feel welcome and at ease” by adding familiar references from artists like Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and Giveon.

Production on the project reflects the astral vision. Keeping Cocoelusive’s voice front and centre, distorted and displaced backing vocals echo inner voices, processing lyrical themes of lust, loss, conflicting emotions, and healing. Expansive, ambient synths, sharp-focus beats and futuristic vocal effects build out ‘In Neptune’’s imaginative galaxy. Cinematic techniques like stark dynamic shifts, spoken word, and ominous bass on ‘D.A.G.O.’, and flipping Giveon’s ‘Like I Want You’ from background noise to sample on ‘Blunt Eyes’, enhance the immersive effect.

Already attracting praise from tastemakers DJ Complexion of Future Beats, MTV Bopshop’s Carson, BBC 1Xtra’s Ace and features from COLORS, Seigfried, and DUMMY mag, Cocoelusive is tapped in to Neptune’s refining energy for a bold creative future.