Martin Haokip aka Lojal (pronounced Loyaal) is a Manipur origin music artist based out of Bangalore. His musical journey really started when he moved to Shillong, Meghalaya from Manipur. According to Haokip himself, about a year ago, he was a “dysfunctional human being in the midst of some levels of depression”. To find a catharsis (of sorts), Haokip moved to
Bangalore and decided that he was going to write a song per day in his home studio.

And now, Lojal is back with another track, “Closure”. This time it’s a collaboration with Kreon, a musical project by Rabhaya Chopra.
He has also produced, mixed and mastered the song, and done a very good job at it. Kreon debuted with a 4 track EP “Corners” in 2017. Kreon released two more singles after that and was signed on to the Majestic Casual Records’ roster eventually.

The track is wonderfully composed. Juggling dark compulsions with grim eulogies, balancing feathery and haunting, Billie Eilish type vocals with deep, grisly bass and some wonderfully rapped lines over skittering trap beats. It’s hard to pinpoint one particular style or genre in this song, it jumps from pop, to hip hop, to trap, to lo-fi R&B. Perhaps that’s the biggest charm of this track. You can just listen to it and get lost in the vibes, without worrying about the details. The lyrics seem a little hard to decipher on the first listen because they are delivered at a low volume in a laid back way (to complement the vibe of the song). However, the vocal delivery and the groove of the song are so intoxicating that you will most likely listen to it multiple times and figure the lyrics out eventually, giving you the much needed “Closure” (pun intended).

Verdict: Closure needs a closer listen to be figured out, but worth the effort in the end.