Chicola returns to Lost & Found for his first solo outing on the label, serving up the beautiful ‘Childhood’, while Hernan Cattaneo & Soundexile provide the lone remix.

‘Childhood’ opens with two minutes of retro-sounding, crunchy drums, before dropping into an extended breakdown. It’s here that we’re introduced to the strong melodic themes of the track, and  Chicola’s gone for a nostalgia-infused melancholy take on his chosen theme, and just nails it. He keeps the percussion ticking away throughout, so that the track never loses momentum, but it’s still a rush when the kick-drum reengages since it’s accompanied by a chunky chugging bassline that delivers a chord-progression that complements the melodies perfectly.

Hernan Cattaneo & Soundexile give their version of ‘Childhood’ a more contemporary feel, with a groovy bassline and bright stabs setting the scene for their re-conception of Chicola’s main melodic ideas which give the track an more summery, techno-y feel. It’s an interesting twist on Chicola’s original, but overall I didn’t much like it – the high-pitched and discordant synths that creep in around the 4 and a half minute mark and that reappear periodically throughout the second half of the remix just grated on me. I’m a bit surprised, to be honest – it’s the first time I’ve heard something by the trio that I haven’t liked, and in particular their ‘Altair’ is a work of genius. But this was a miss for me.

Lost & Found have delivered once again, with a lovely, very personal sounding track from Chicola – you’re going to be hearing this one a lot!