Francis Arevalo - The Sound of Healing

Francis Arevalo's album The Sound of Healing: Extended released October 10, 2021. It updates the original project he dropped in April 2020. Now like then, it’s a topical, conscious hip-hop project by one of Vancouver’s hardest-working artist-producers.

Listen to Francis Arevalo The Sound of Healing

Today, I’ll focus on the new material for this extended edition. That’s the last four tracks: “Heavenly”, “Some Days”, “Lion (The Drum Temple remix)”, and “When the Time Comes”.

In the second half of 2021, Arevalo worked on Desiree Dawson’s EP Meet You At The Light. The new, extended version of “Heavenly” has nice vocal harmonies, just like Dawson’s project did.

The expansive arrangement starts with an ominous cymbal scrape instead of Arevalo’s sigh, and it moves deftly between grooves. It feels like it has tons of instruments you wouldn’t expect, from organ to an electric guitar solo. Arevalo also adds a second rap verse right in the middle, but his focus is on the soundscape here.

“Some Days” is a new track, lyrical with a piano sample and some bass. “Capitalism might kill me,” Arevalo raps before continuing to talk about healing yourself so you can show up better for others.

Arevalo’s story

I asked Arevalo what was on his mind regarding this project, and he said that this short video-doc describes what it’s about.

“Lion (The Drum Temple remix)” features The Drum Temple, the producer whose work we know from HAVYN and other projects. It trades the ASMR-worthy opening from the original track nine, “Lion”, for some swelling synth chords. Here are Arevalo’s most rapid-fire bars, this time with emphasis on the synths and a tighter runtime.

Finally, “When The Time Comes” is also a new track. It’s a piano ballad with spoken-word vocals, ending the album on a perfect cadence. That’s a big difference from how “WWH” ends the original project.

Does this mean Arevalo is more at peace now than at that time? When you’ve been through a lot, who knows.