Browsing Tag

Emo Trap

nasir mf. pushed the boundaries of sonic expression in his emotion-driven EDM hit, fuckin lonely

Posted on 22 December 2022

If the sub-genre emo EDM doesn’t already exist on some dark and despondent corner on the internet, the electronica producer, nasir mf. started it with his trappy trailblazer of a debut single, fuckin lonely.

After a wavy indie trap prelude, the hit blasts off with a high-fire boost of momentum that allows the track to transcend drum n bass before the candid vocals run through pioneeringly bold lyricism to shatter the stigma attached to admissions of loneliness.

To make such an honest track at any point in their career is a brave move; to choose this track to introduce himself to the world, nasir mf. is a total fucking icon. The Brooklyn-based electronica artist made his debut to carry on the legacy of the black artists before him while pushing the boundaries of sound and expression. In the process of succeeding across the board, he became an instant icon in our view.

Nothing compares to the high of hearing an artist speak the unspoken and fuckin lonely let the euphoric floodgates open. We can’t wait to hear what comes next.

fuckin lonely was officially released on December 2nd and is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tea Sea takes us down ‘The River’ with the killer cadence in his latest trap track

Posted on 14 October 2022

Virginia Beach trap artist, Tea Sea, has been picking up momentous traction since his 2020 debut. Following the release of his latest single, The River, on October 14th, he’s set to deservedly break the 1 million streaming mark with the conviction-fuelled earworm.

By collaborating with the overseas producers placerbeatz and marni boy, The River is a blazing triumph of an electronic trap track, with Tea Sea’s ingenious rhyme schemes tearing through the discordant dystopian colossal tones.

With his killer cadence, dynamite vocal dynamism, and determination to connect with the disillusioned and disenfranchised with his music, Tea Sea’s music grips you with a rare veracity that makes it easy to see why he’s garnering so much hype. The River may just be his most viscerally fresh track to date.

We couldn’t be more stoked for him in this luminary chapter of his music career. We haven’t been able to forget him since his melodic earworm, Vitals, tore away at our sense of empathy and our love for slamming hip hop candour.

Here’s what Tea Sea had to say about his latest release:

“It is all about respect. It also explores the hunger for success and the determination to not take no for an answer when people stand in the way of your career goals and attempt to derail them.

I have been writing songs for over 12 years, and I have always had that mindset throughout my journey. This instrumental was made by two producers overseas who are at the grindstone endlessly trying to realize their full potential too.”

The River is set to release on October 14th. Catch it on Spotify & SoundCloud.

Follow Tea Sea on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

EM$o went from trap life to trap star in his debut LP featuring the standout single, The $urvivor

Posted on 16 August 2022

From trap life to trap star, the Biel/Bienne-born rapper, EM$o, escaped one of the most dangerous places in Central Europe to share his story and show the world what resilience sounds like.

After getting into music in 2016, he homed in on his talent until July 2022, when he released his debut album, Differences, featuring the standout indie emo trap single, The $urvivor, which gives a candid view into his world and how music transformed it.

He is the antithesis of every trap artist who appropriates the lifestyle for sonic street cred. You can hear the imprint of the streets reverberating through his evocative bars, which leave no stone unturned in the melodic indie hip hop track, which is as impactful as it is mellow.

The track in EM$o’s words:

“The $urvivor is based on my experiences on the streets in Biel/Bienne in Switzerland, which is known as one of the most dangerous places in Central Europe. The single describes my mentality while living in that place and what it took to survive. Not many in my circle made it out alive without ending up in jail or hospital.

My parents did what they could to get me out. They taught me how to make smart moves and outsmart the dark mentality of the streets, which left me with a lust for money and power as a teenager. When my usual vices ceased working, I turned to music. I used my trap money to buy equipment, and in 2016 I started writing and recording my songs.”

The $urvivor is now available to stream along with EM$o’s debut album, Differences, on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

uhforrest became one of the most original names in indie trap with ‘highrise’

Posted on 14 April 2022

‘highrise’ is the latest candidly sweet indie trap drop from the up-and-coming San Francisco based artist, uhforrest, who is setting himself apart from the rest by establishing himself as the Elliott Smith of the new wave trap scene.

Lyrically, highrise packs a pretty bruising punch as uhforrest runs through the cleverly morose wit; instrumentally, the intimate guitars bring the catharsis as they shimmer over the glitchy trip-hop meets trap beats.

To bring yet another addictive element into the prodigal mix, uhforrest is by far one of the most vocally original trap artists to appear on our radar in recent years. When you pair that with the indie tape-saturated warmth of the genre-defying guitars, highrise is as unforgettable as it is original. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sionis wants to take us ‘Swimming’

Posted on 10 April 2021

Sionis is a 21-year-old musician from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a back history of pop-punk mixed with hip hop and rap. ‘Swimming’ comes by way of artists like Mobb Deep, Havoc, Screwball, or Tyler The Creator. Lyrically, it’s all about a previous girlfriend, and it’s clear that that relationship didn’t always go as well as it might have, with lines like ‘if we fuck then you can scratch me ‘til I bleed/ then I’ll choke you out to gain more energy’ and ‘back and forth, back and forth/ the passive-aggressiveness, I’m sick of it’, but Sionis has some pretty smooth flow mixed with the classic T-Pain autotune vocal production. There’s a solid backing of beats, bass, and piano that bounces the track along in a chilled way, but there’s an underlying anger and aggression here too that fits the vocal message.

You can hear ‘Swimming’ on Soundcloud, and check out Sionis on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

SadHappyRabbit – That’s Alright featuring Lil Ringey

Posted on 2 February 2021

Before we escaped 2020, SadHappyRabbit released their pessimistically-titled debut album ‘We’re Fucked’, which may flirt with nihilism, but the essence of the Portland-hailing artist’s sound unequivocally lies in their refreshing candid vulnerability.

The standout track, ‘That’s Alright’, which was created in collaboration with Lil Ringey is the perfect introduction to SadHappyRabbit’s unique marrying of Indie Hip Hop and Emo Rap. Anyone who has a proclivity for morosity – especially in the presence of romantic disparity will find plenty of resonance in the single.

Yes, the lyrics are dark, but darkness and romanticism have come hand in hand ever since Shakespeare started doing his thing, and this barbed depiction of painful romantic duality is just as efficacious at evoking strong emotion as Hamlet.

There’s no room to wonder why SadHappyRabbit has been able to amass so much hype since making their debut in 2020. Their fearlessness when it comes to lyrical honesty is practically unparalleled.

You can check out That’s Alright for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

ZuZhu& brings his razor-sharp lyrical wit to their latest single “Cheating”

Posted on 25 September 2020

There’s not much that can make you feel better once you’ve been cheated on, yet ZuZhu&’s latest Pop Trap track “Cheating” which manages to put a humorous spin on the act of romantic indiscretion is sure to shed a little light on the soul destroying experience. Who said that Emo Rap was depressing?

ZuZhu&’s razor-sharp lyrical wit tears through the audacity of deception while the high-vibe Trap beats chip away at your romantic cynicism as they progress through the melodically arrestive progressions. It is an absolute earworm. Hit play and embrace the redemptive vibes.

You can check out Cheating for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IvesSaint has taken Trap to melodic new realms with their second single “Last Night at Saint’s”

Posted on 3 July 2020

The evolution of Trap in 2020 continues to blow my mind. After hearing IvesSaint’s second single “Last Night at Saint’s” the up and coming artist became a clear pioneer by pushing the genre into brand-new accordant and melodic realms.

Last Night at Saint’s kicks off with absorbingly angular guitar notes before the steady arrestive beats kick in under IvesSaint’s candid lyricism which perfectly captures that horrendous lovelorn feeling which can lead you into a downward spiral.

We’ve all been there. But what sets IvesSaint apart from the rest is to throw the entirety of his pain into the mix in the hope that others will hear it and find comfort. His lyrical bravery is only matched by his instrumental authenticity. We can’t wait to hear what comes next.

You can check out IvesSaint’s single Last Night at Saint’s for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Hazel Effect has dropped their game-changing Emo Trap track White Gold Trim

Posted on 21 June 2020

American Emo Trap pioneer the Hazel Effect dropped their indulgently dark and stormy latest release White Gold Trim on June 14th. We’re already obsessed with it.

The infectiously visceral earworm kicks off with a teasing start before sliding into an anthemically fierce infusion of Emo and Trap. If there’s any track with the capacity to unite Pop Punk kids and New Wave Trap fans, it’s White Gold Trim.

As much as I enjoyed White Gold Trim hitting my ears at home through my headphones, it instantly made me wish that the angsty banger had first introduced itself on a sticky dancefloor with like-minded nihilists.

You can find the resonance in White Gold Trim for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Keep up to date with the artist’s latest releases via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast