Browsing Tag

Alt Trap

Papa Aashi – She Hates Geminis: Cosmically Dark Trap

Posted on 19 September 2021

While some hip hop artists struggle to break the mould, Papa Aashi obliterated it with his latest single, She Hates Geminis. The old school rhythm and blues guitars, hazy reverb, tape deck echo and trippy progressions fuse together to justify the expression ‘it is a vibe’.

After becoming a DJ under the influence of Avicii, Aashi found a love for trap and its darker sub-genres before Mac Miller became the final piece in Aashi’s aural puzzle that lead to releases such as She Hates Geminis.

It’s rare to find an artist whose authenticity is just as noteworthy as their talent; if anyone has what it takes to become the next trap icon, our money is on PaPa Aashi.

She Hates Geminis is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sun-Soaked Trap Pop: Captiøn – Malcølm In the Middle feat. Christian Awong

Posted on 20 August 2021
Captiøn

There are two kinds of experimental artists, the ones who strive to create anything as long as it is new, and the ones that give their tracks the same IQ as Einstein, the up and coming alt-pop artist Captiøn is definitively in the latter camp.

His latest single, created in collaboration with Christian Awong, is as alternative as it is emotional; the vocal hooks in Malcølm in the Middle pull you deeper into the trippy, sun-bleached melodicism. Summer may be coming to a close, but if there is any tropic trap pop track to keep you warm through the winter, it is this sweet and authentic earworm.

Check out Captiøn’s latest track on Spotify or SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Philly Knox has unleashed her ethereally empowering dark-pop hit, ‘Bad Guy’.

Posted on 10 July 2021

After a dark ethereal intro, Philly Knox’s latest single, Bad Guy, seamlessly shifts into an amalgamation of trap beats, RnB pop vocals and rap verses that Knox uses to utterly floor you with the candid demeanour of her soulful yet vehemently fierce bars.

Bad Guy may share the same title as Eilish’s viral hit, but Knox put an ensnaring claim on the name with her dark hip hop hit that sticks with you for quite some time after the haunting lo-fi-style outro. The single feeds empowerment through the deliverance of raw and intimate expression that isn’t commonplace anywhere, let alone on the airwaves.

You can check out Philly Knox on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Simulated Youth – Digital Memories, featuring Rielle & Camoragi; a trap anthem for the cyber age.

Posted on 25 June 2021
https://youtu.be/IBQXC29Q86Q

US alt-electronica artist Simulated Youth is set to release his two-track release, Digital Memories, featuring vocals from Rielle & Camorag. Thankfully, he has stayed true to his signature cyberpunk EDM style that we have come to adore while creating a trap anthem for the cyber age with the title track.

The canter in the rap bars is just as dizzying as the melodic command in the reverb swathed synths in the bass-riding single that is just as conceptual as the preceding releases from Simulated Youth. This time, he tells a two-sided story of breaking up in the modern age where it is impossible to disconnect from the people we have grown apart from with the digital tethers that keep us connected. Digital Memories is for everyone that has ever scorned Facebook memories for reminding us of our exes. Especially if those exes belong in a private hall of shame.

With only a hint of hyperbole, experiencing the danceable drop for the first time may have been the highlight of my 2021. Simulated Youth is easily one of our favourite discoveries this year. His devilishly meta production style is enough to make a sapiosexual weak at the knees.

You can check out Digital Memories from June 25th here.

Connect with Simulated Youth via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

BabyEros hit us right ‘In My Feels’.

Posted on 17 June 2021

Opening up with some eerily creepy guitar work and a heavily vocoder-sounding autotuned vocal, ‘In My Feels’ finds itself a genre-defying niche somewhere between alternative edgy trap and alt-rock; sounding like the unholy lovechild of Linkin Park, Alice In Chains, and Skrillex, ‘In My Feels’ is taken from BabyEros’ self-titled debut EP, and flips effortlessly between straight-out rock delivery and rapid-fire hip hop flow, it’s dark, brooding, and unsettling in equal measure, and that’s a very good thing. It’s a quality cross-over piece that deserves a proper listen.

You can check out BabyEros on YouTube and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Jace Heyman is going to get to us ‘One By One’

Posted on 21 April 2021

The second single from forthcoming E.P. ‘Lovin’ Under The Influence’ (following-up his debut, ‘Drunk Text’), ‘One By One’ is a little slice of modern R&B that mixes up Usher and Timberlake with The Weeknd, Future, and Drake. It’s a chilled, mellow track, deep bass and laid-back programmed parts underlaying Heyman’s relaxed, gentle upper-register vocal. Mixed in with collaborator Jaq Moon

‘One By One’ has got daytime Radio One or Kiss FM written all over it; that smooth-groove soulful sort of R&B vibe going on, that sort of beach-day chill out relaxing-yet-uplifting track that’s contemporary yet comfortingly old-school all at once.

‘One By One’ is out now across all major streaming platforms. You can hear it now on Spotify, and follow Jace Heyman on Facebook and Twitter.

Review by Alex Holmes

Tea Sea mixes up a big pot of groove on new single ‘Vitals’

Posted on 23 March 2021

Taking a set of playful, poetic lyrics and mixing them up with a watertight groove and bounce, and a chunk of metaphor-heavy imagery, and deliver it all with a non-stop energy and flow, and you’ve pretty much got the recipe for this serving of tea (sea). ‘Vitals’ is a tale of lost-love set to an R&B-tinged hip hop backbeat, equal parts Kendrick Lamar, XXXTentacion, Childish Gambino, and The Weekend.

There’s elements of old-school heroes in here too – Biggie, Dre, Mos Def, and Eminem all feature in Tea Sea’s quickfire wordplay, while there’s elements of soul and eighties street hip hop in the backing beats.

With an official video/visualiser steeped (geddit?) in eighties video effects and 8-bit arcade game visuals, Tea Sea brings us a nice little slice of retro-modern here in ‘Vitals’.

Check out the video for ‘Vitals’ on YouTube; follow Tea Sea on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Alt trap artist, 7:AM wakes us up with their ‘Raw Talent EP

Posted on 11 March 2021
https://soundcloud.com/7aminthemorning/sets/raw-talent-ep

Detroit-hailing artist and producer, 7:AM is riding on the new wave of trap with their debut EP ‘Raw Talent’. The spacey adrenalizing EP kicks off with ‘How It Feels’ which makes no bones about immersing you into a distorted feat of alt-electronica with tribal new age rhythm.

The dizzying swathes of reverb in How it Feels may resonate as excessive to those who haven’t found an affinity for psychedelically mind-altering textures in electronic hip hop, but anyone who appreciates electrifyingly visceral ingenuity will find themselves hooked on 7:AM’s unapologetically unique sound.

The Raw Talent EP is available to purchase via Apple Music.

For more ways to listen, head over to 7:AM’s official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Yung’Cid left the pill un-sugared in their feisty new wave trap track ‘Loved You Better’

Posted on 10 February 2021
Yung’Cid

‘Loved You Better’ is the latest single from Bedford, UK-hailing Alternative artist, Yung’Cid, their combination of Pop Punk, Trap and RnB grinds with the tides of New Wave luminaries such as Juice Wrld, Lil Xan and Lil Peep while flowing with Yung’Cid’s own authentic expression.

Crank up the volume and feel the full force of the aggressive rock elements, lock into the lyrics to appreciate the raw gritty romanticism which inspired Love You Better which drips with visceral angst, but if you read between the lines, you’ll find that it’s an emboldening track.

We often place the blame on ourselves when people fail to love us properly, Yung’Cid highlights the pain of that experience while serving the reminder that other people’s inability to love is not our problem.

You can hear Yung’Cid via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

I Passed Away serves a smorgasbord of 80’s Goth, 90’s Emo and Electro Alt Pop with ‘Brainwave’

Posted on 13 November 2020
I Passed Away

Starting off as a modern hyperpop dance/rock banger, ‘Brainwave’ showcases I Passed Away’s versatility, moving through 80’s goth, 90’s emo, and electro alt-pop disco crossover at the swelling instrumental middle eight breakdown.

There are elements of early 90’s alternative rock around the vocal production, coming across at times like a slightly more mellow Layne Stayley, but overall I Passed Away has a unique and instantly recognisable vocal sound. ‘Brainwave’ is a well-crafted piece, marrying solid, gripping melodies with catchy keyboard hooks, a driving bassline, and clean, crisp production. There are clearly influences of hip hop and ambient artists in ‘Brainwave’ too, along with the more obvious indie and emo tropes, but primarily I Passed Away has crafted a novel, individual, and mature piece of modern dance/pop crossover that bodes well for future releases.

Check out I Passed Away on Soundcloud and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes