From poison to medicine.

Photo by Nicole Brody

Blak Emjoi's Intro EP is a promising start. Straddling the line between dark pop and driving R&B, it mixes and swirls it's influences into a brief burst of tunes that has me intrigued for more.

Kelsey Warren is Blak Emoji and "Poison To Medicine" is the standout on his debut; a slow build that somehow transforms dread and tension into joyful release anchored by a darkness at its core that keeps the affair from feeling frothy or cliché.

I don't know—there's a dark theme at the core of this tune that should, by all right, fuel despondence, but instead I hear something hopeful sparking within its darkness. Maybe you'll hear it too.