Pablo Embon – Build Us Apart (Single Review)

Jazz artist Pablo Embon brings together orchestral writing, jazz fusion, contemporary harmonic language and cinematic production on “Build Us Apart”, creating a track that feels less like a conventional jazz composition and more like a constantly developing musical journey. As a composer, orchestrator and producer, Embon has built his work around storytelling through music, often creating projects that develop overarching themes and ideas across multiple pieces. That cinematic approach is certainly present here, with “Build Us Apart” moving through several different moods while maintaining a strong sense of forward momentum.

From its opening moments, there is something quite jaunty about the track. The composition immediately has a sense of movement, almost as though it is accompanying someone walking with purpose towards a particular destination. There is a determination within the rhythm that makes it easy to imagine a character setting off on a mission, knowing exactly where they need to go and refusing to be distracted along the way. This gives the instrumental a surprisingly visual quality, with the music feeling capable of creating a scene without relying on lyrics or vocals to communicate its narrative.

At the same time, “Build Us Apart” is very much a roller coaster of emotions. The arrangement is constantly shifting, with different sounds and ideas entering the composition and changing its atmosphere. This helps maintain interest throughout the track, particularly as the instrumentation begins to expand. The song reaches one of its strongest points when the additional instruments come into the arrangement, giving the piece a greater sense of scale and helping all of its individual components feel more connected. There is a noticeable lift when these sounds arrive, and the composition feels more complete as a result.

The ambitious nature of the arrangement can occasionally work against the track, however. There are moments where it feels as though there is perhaps too much happening at once, with several musical components competing for attention. Given Embon’s obvious interest in large-scale orchestration, this density is understandable, but the track could potentially benefit from allowing certain ideas more space to develop. Focusing more heavily on one particular musical element at certain points, rather than introducing so many components simultaneously, could make the strongest aspects of the composition stand out more clearly.

At times, its sound feels slightly slammed together, making some of the individual notes and textures less distinct than they could be. It can initially make the arrangement feel crowded, particularly when the keyboard carries a significant portion of the composition. However, once the other instruments enter, this quality becomes less distracting. The additional instrumentation helps pull the track together and gives the keyboard a more appropriate context within the wider arrangement.

Despite this minor criticism, the production and mixing are handled well overall. There is a clear understanding of how the different instrumental layers can work together to create a cinematic atmosphere, and the arrangement has enough variation to prevent the track from becoming predictable. The production successfully captures the scale and ambition of Embon’s compositional style, while the jazz-influenced harmonic elements add further character to the piece.

“Build Us Apart” ultimately succeeds because of its sense of movement and progression. It feels like music designed to accompany a journey, with the listener constantly being pushed forward towards some unseen destination. Its jaunty qualities provide energy, while the shifting instrumentation creates a range of emotional peaks and valleys. Although the arrangement could occasionally benefit from more restraint and the keyboard could be given a cleaner, less compressed presentation, the addition of instruments shows how effective the composition can be when its elements come together.

SCORE/Goo: For listeners who enjoy instrumental music that sits between jazz, orchestral composition and cinematic scoring, “Build Us Apart” offers an interesting and ambitious listen. Pablo Embon’s ability to create a sense of narrative without words is one of the track’s greatest strengths, turning a largely instrumental composition into something that feels like it has a destination, a purpose and a story of its own.

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