By Joey Akan
TC Max positions himself on Console (Highness), which is a special spot in contemporary music where hurt and boldness collide.
The song, which was released as a stand-alone single, is a slow-burner with teeth: subtly forceful, yet placid on the surface. The masterfully layered production of Echocraft (Emoefe Onojete) creates a melancholy, late-night confession encased in velvet sonics.
The song establishes an atmosphere of reflection from the very first few seconds. A sub-bass rumbles in like a pulse on the verge of a decision, as an airy but grounded looping ambient synth echoes. The tune never poses, in contrast to the violent intensity that the name “Highness” suggests. Rather, it floats, confidently drawing you in with control.
Console (Highness) is a masterwork of acoustic placement, and Echocraft excels in spatial design. Every component is in its proper place: the mid-range conveys TC Max’s voice like fog moving across glass, the hi-hats shimmer but never slice, and the kicks are heavy but not dominant. The music embraces the singing rather than trying to drown it out.
The mix has a certain analogue warmth. It’s lived-in, not vintage. The vocals have a textural richness that enables TC Max to ride the rhythm with both intensity and gentleness since they are occasionally duplicated and somewhat filtered. He doesn’t go above and beyond. He paces instead, giving the song a swagger that is felt more than stated.
Each bar is placed just below the rhythm.
What Echocraft doesn’t do is what makes his production so brilliant. There isn’t an over-layered chorus, a forced climax, or a drop. Restraint is the source of the tension. The rhythm completely retreats around the two-minute mark, leaving just ambient chords and a delayed vocal trail in its place, rather than intensifying into a high-energy bridge. A producer who is secure in negative space is the only one who can make a decision that seems cinematic.
Additionally, Console (Highness) goes towards tone that transcends genre boundaries. It has the DNA of all three genres, but it’s not exactly hip-hop, R&B, or Afrobeats. This effect of genre merging is deliberate. It is moulded, the outcome of manufacturing decisions based on purpose and clarity.
The track’s ease with ambiguity is ultimately what distinguishes it. It makes no effort to provide an explanation or strike any overtly sentimental chords. The song is calm, cool, and slow-burning; it understands that you don’t have to listen to it loudly.