Beyond being picked as one of Yahoo!‘s most overlooked albums of 2012, Ayo Olatunji’s ‘Isolation’ mixtape hasn’t really had the attention it deserves. Released by the New York-based singer (who now goes by the name of I/O) in the middle of last year, it’s a classy collection of understated R&B songs that are filled with restless experimentation and emotional turmoil – and, not to mention, a diamond of a voice holding it all together.
On Wasted My Time, echoes of Jai Paul’s washed-out, mellow yet intensely expressive hooks ring through I/O’s songcraft (I’ve been unable to get the heartbreaking “I wasted my time / loving her so much” out of my head since I first heard it), and there’s a Pyramids-esque touch of the theatrical with the wailing guitar solo that carries the ballad to a close. This song has been kicking around since late last year, but hopefully now with this surreal visual from BRTHR Films, it’ll reach a few more eyes and ears. Cutting uneasily from falling clocks to bloodied knuckles to a totally creepy imaginary friend, the video sees I/O view the world in an incredibly distorted way as he’s chased by his demons. If you watch one thing today, watch this.
