Browsing Tag

Alt Rap

Tyrus Archer launched an ‘AMERICAN CLASSIC’ with his latest alt-hip-hop single.

Posted on 18 May 2023

Don’t be fooled by the titular insinuation; the latest single, AMERICAN CLASSIC, from the alt-hip-hop innovator, Tyrus Archer, is anything but archetypally in-line with the American dream. The downtempo trip-hop beats and ethereally luxe backing vocals, which sound like they’ve been torn from a David Lynch production, take AMERICAN CLASSIC to the next level.

From the first verse, you will find yourself transfixed on the conviction that pours from Archer’s hot and heavy vocal lines, which poetically portray an exhibition of the desecrated culture of the US until the track quiescently fades to silence, allowing you to bask in the introspection that was pulled with perfectly cadenced punches. AMERICAN CLASSIC is pure Avant Garde urban aggression, which goes a long way in alluding to why the slam poet rapper self-describes himself as a wild racoon in a handbag.

Stream AMERICAN CLASSIC by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marcello (spooks) kicked up dust in his metaphorically sharp alt-rap double A-side, Endless Drive: A Love Story

Posted on 18 April 2023

After racking up over 1 million streams on his hit single, True Colours, London’s brightest rap luminary, Marcello (spooks) has exhibited his even more sharply honed wordplay skills in his double A-side release, Endless Drive: A Love Story. With the unrelenting desire to show his readers how to let the light in with his optimistic rap bars, he created two assured afro-pop/rap earworms with the two singles, TRAFFIC and ENDLESS DRIVE.

Attitude is everything; Marcello’s will leave you revelling in gritty yet sincerely pure soul. His daring propensity to look on the bright side and flip the pervasive narrative that life is a minefield of personal injustice needs to spill onto the darker corners of the internet. The stellar production in his double A-side with his effortlessly exhilarating air that breathes through his vibrant bars will pull you down to earth while simultaneously leaving you on cloud nine.

“Endless Drive: A Love Story is a metaphor for the nature of a turbulent romantic relationship and the perseverance required to be happy and successful in music and life. The first single, TRAFFIC, is about finding patience while standing behind someone else in the queue for your love, but you don’t mind because it is worth the wait. The same sentiment stands when you are on the road to success.

The second single, ENDLESS DRIVE, is a meta depiction of how it feels to be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t know how to drive, takes the wrong turns, gets you lost, doesn’t focus on the road ahead and always makes a beeline for complications.”

Endless Drive: A Love Story will hit the airwaves on April 18; catch it on Spotify and SoundCloud.

Follow Marcello (spooks) on Twitter and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jesus B. has unleashed his grittily twee emo love song, Love Means

Posted on 11 April 2023
https://soundcloud.com/jesus_b/love-means?si=7a223ab548a34f31860509338b3ea1d6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

If two things on the airwaves never get enough respect or recognition, they are ukuleles and emo alt-rap; the up-and-coming alternative artist Jesus B. fused the two in his latest single, Love Means, which unravels as the ultimate scripture of bitter-sweet affection.

Bliss and agony are two sides of the same coin when it comes to love, and the diehard romanticism evolving into dejection in Love Means is the ultimate affirmation. Your breakup playlists won’t be the same without the gritty yet twee lo-fi single from the Alaskan artist, who is picking up where Lil Peep left off with his command over moody melodies. His authenticity is one thing. His ability to project intimate emotion so that it resonates with universal commonality is another entirely. We can’t wait to hear what comes next from Jesus B.

Love Means is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: EM$o turned on the bright lights in his redemptive reggaeton release, Dark Rooms

Posted on 10 February 2023
EM$o

The candid uncut nature of EM$o’s debut LP, Differences, was a promising sign of more expositional visceral hits in the pipeline. He more than delivered with Dark Rooms. The rhythmically disarming reggaeton single strips the glorification from self-destruction and glamourizes growth. You can’t afford not to have him as a role model. In 3-minutes, EM$o takes you on the emotional journey of a lifetime.

After growing up in one of the most dangerous cities in Europe, EM$o knew he had to break away from the past, but distance and growth weren’t enough to cut the haunting ties forged through anxiety, depression, and addiction. His latest single, with the accompanying music, video artfully unravels his redemption arc. From insular isolation to embracing gratitude and willingness to make the most out of his life, the bright lights were turned on. Dark Rooms shows you how to find the switch.

“Dark Rooms is a tribute to a very special woman who went through hell trying to prevent me from doing something stupid and fatal. After my past life in the streets, I was severely depressed. Days would pass I did little more than drink in my house to numb the pain.

She walked into my life, everything became easy and moments of happiness were achievable – while sober. She empowered me to get healthier, better, stronger, and more resilient. As much as this is a tribute, it is also an ask for forgiveness and acknowledgement that she walked through the fire for me, despite the burns from her past.”

The song was written, recorded and mixed in EM$o’s home studio and mastered by Slade Templeton at Influx Studios. The official video was shot and produced by Tec. and Film.

The single and the official music video will release on February 10th. Check it out on all major streaming services via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Punk rap pioneers Mort City gave a lesson in funk, rhythm and groove in their single, Teacher Teacher

Posted on 15 October 2022

The US punk rap pioneers Mort City brought the riffy funk in their latest single, Teacher Teacher, which will school you in Afrobeat rhythms, Primus-Esque melodies, and Ty Segal-style fuzz.

The cheeky semi-spoken word verses easily gel with the off-kilter progressive guitars that always keep the tonal palate sunny while delving into groove pockets before bringing Tom Morello veracious licks. If there was ever a 21st-century equivalent to Frank Zappa, I’m pretty sure I’ve just experienced it.

The bi-coastal duo ticks every conceivable box in the realms of experimentalism, while keeping the centre of gravity the good vibes that effortlessly exude from Teacher Teacher, which is just one of the singles from their debut album, On The Scene, which dropped across all streaming platforms on October 7th.

Teacher Teacher is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

UK rapper Chiron Loxton takes the urban grit out of hip hop with Out in the Trees.

Posted on 5 October 2021

It’s tracks like Chiron Loxton’s latest single, Out in the Trees, that exhibit the pointlessness of facade-delivered lyricism. Out in the Trees is the first track released from the luminary Somerset-residing rap artist’s mindful lockdown-inspired album. It is also the perfect introduction to his tendency to take lyrical hip hop to the next level.

Rap and nature rarely go hand in hand, given that it was created in the Bronx, but Loxton didn’t fail to take hip hop out of the urban era and root it in nature. The meditative trap beats with ambient drill undertones make for the perfect vibe out playlist staple.

The official video to Out in the Trees premiered on September 3rd. You can check it out for yourselves on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spitta Zay has dropped his flawlessly facade-less downtempo hip hop track, TRST.

Posted on 26 September 2021

US alt-hip hop trailblazer, Spitta Zay, is proving to be just as much of an aural force to be reckoned with as Saul Williams, especially on the basis of his latest evocatively experimental single TRST.

With the alt-indie guitars wrapping around the solid 808 snares in the atmospheric track that teases you through spatial effects and unpredictable downtempo rhythms, you can’t help but be drawn in by the refreshing sonic palette. Yet, it is the façade-less expression in the lyrics and downtrodden-but-still-soulful vocals that make hitting play on TRST an unforgettable experience.

Tracks like TRST mark a pivotal societal change in the openness in our trauma and idiosyncratic behaviour. If more artists found themselves with the same unfiltered motivation as Spitta Zay, I can’t help feeling that the world would be far more empathetic.

You can check out TRST for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Glitch Hop Meets Cloud Rap in Trukadi’s Latest Single, Pick and Choose

Posted on 10 September 2021

After his 2019 debut, the Californian alt-pop artist, Trukadi, hasn’t failed to make an impression with his antagonistic lyrics and experimental beats. His latest single, Pick and Choose, is a distortedly electrifying 1:43 minute hit of glitchy cloud rap with hints of Midwest Emo.

The explicit track carries the indie melodicism of a Post Malone single, but Trukadi made sure Pick and Choose hits like no other with instantly magnetic vocals and lo-fi guitars that bring plenty of warmth to the distinct production that marries glitch hop and emo. Love him or hate him, there will be no indifference when it comes to Trukadi’s sound, and there are few greater testaments of talent than that.

Pick and Choose is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spend It How I Want To: Talented UK artist Head-Ache Official wishes he was with her in the ‘Summer Time’

Posted on 10 July 2021

As he temporarily lost his rocket as she flew away for a while and he can’t stop thinking about holding her beautifully soft hand, Head-Ache Official dreams vividly of the fun times gazing into each others eyes in the beautiful ‘Summer Time‘.

Head-Ache Official is a seventeen-years-young alt-rap artist and model, who is based in the UK. He brings us a fresh look into the world from his innocent eyes – and takes us on a journey with a new school style – that has you deeply reflective and bouncing around due to the catchy beat and honest lyrics.

This is the true story of sitting back casually one day and realizing who is important in your life. Relationships come and go but this one is so special. Each moment means so much and you just wish you could be closer right now, so you could intertwine organically into each others souls, like plants wrapping together as one. Their memory has your beating heart in a happy flutter and you can’t stop thinking about them for one second.

There is a wonderfully crisp beat here that definitely soaks up the best time of year, when the rain is gone and the sunglasses are out in force. He feels trapped right now and the frustration is so clear in his excellent vocal ability, as he wants to move away from the circle that is keeping him tied up. His blood-fueled heart only wants to see her sweet smile.

‘Summer Time‘ from the youthfully exuberant London, UK artist/model Head-Ache Official, is a quick-fire two minute experience that takes you to the delightful times when you are with that special person in your life. The sun is baking down, the weather is so sweet, your eyes are locked in tight, and you only want to be with her all day. Sadly times have changed and you can’t be together right now, but the daydream is keeping you alive and bright for now.

Ultimately, summer is about spending it the way you wish, not with selfish souls who only want to do things of no interest to you.

Stream this fine song on Spotify and catch more of his vision via IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Enjoy the softer side of trap with Timmy the Boy’s intimate alt-indie sound.

Posted on 1 May 2021

Alternative artist Timmy the Boy has contributed to the airwaves for the past three years with this unique take on alt hip hop; he has garnered plenty of well-earned hype in the process. The prolific artist has collaborated with numerous major-league producers and worked with sensational featuring artists, but evidently, plenty of the alchemy in his evocative tracks is entirely his own.

The US-based artist possesses the enviable ability to explore raw emotion in his music while never drawing the listener into melancholy. Instead, he lays down all too relatable emotion while allowing his beats to tease optimism and connection.

His most recent single, Run to You, featuring Jocc and produced by Mikeisotb, can easily be considered a cloud rap playlist staple. With genres merged and plenty of atmosphere under the dual vocals, it’s as indulgently unique as it is distinctively immersive.

You can check out Timmy the Boy’s tracks for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast