Browsing Tag

Indie Trap

BLKY shared the secret to karmic vengeance with his latest trap track, Price

Posted on 26 August 2022

Here to prove that Trap hits just as hard on this side of the pond is the up-and-coming lyrical trailblazer, BLKY, with his latest single, Price.

The reprise of ‘I get revenge with success’ rips up the usual trap tropes to deliver a narrative that shows you how to bite back at everyone that has underestimated and undermined you without disturbing the karmic balance.

The rhythmic indie instrumentals, which carry hints of eastern flavour, are just as energised as BLKY’s bars, which he’s been perfecting since the age of 10. With every BLKY track, there’s the guarantee of visceral realism. Few artists pull together art and raw narratives with as much finesse as this artist, utterly unafraid to lay it all bare.

Check out Price for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

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

Swavo counts his ‘Blessings’ in his latest new wave trap track

Posted on 4 May 2022

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bvMLEI9jWcI

New wave indie trapper, Swavo has dropped his Young Thug-inspired rap track, Blessings, which operates on the celestial side of sweet and the evocative side of confessional. Around the signature timbre of the 808s are stunningly intimate indie guitars, and there is just enough bass to bring robustness to the melodies that you’ll want to lose yourself in time after time.

Vocally, Swavo proves that you don’t need to channel aggression to deliver conviction in your rap bars. You can always flow with the same fiery sense of impassioned wit that was present in Blessings. It is only a matter of time before Swavo gets the recognition he irrefutably deserves.

Blessings is now available to stream on YouTube.

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

Klo transcends the ‘Small Town’ mentality in his latest alt-indie track.

Posted on 31 December 2021

https://soundcloud.com/klomusic343434/small-town-prod-splashgvng

There’s nothing like small towns for dragging us down; anyone relating to that sentiment will undoubtedly find the resonance in Klo’s latest single, Small Town, produced by Splashgvng.

With reminiscence to Lil Peep in the melodies and vocals, Small Town is instantly familiar but Klo easily sets himself with the quintessentially Midwestern indie vibes which allow Small Town to unravel like an accordantly candid dream.

The single grooves through every consideration when it comes to cutting the ties with our hometown roots – the suffocation imparted by small-town mentalities to the faces that we will regret leaving behind. It’s a gorgeously well-rounded track that proves Klo is well worth a spot on your radar.

Small Town is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rosegang drops new single ‘12 Over 6’

Posted on 3 May 2021

Opening up with a delicate fingerstyle classical Spanish guitar part before the beats and bass kick in, ’12 Over 6’ – the debut single from Tauranga, New Zealand-based artist Rosegang – is a delicate take on modern Hip Hop. That pretty, haunting guitar line repeats throughout, a simple motif that carries the track through drops and rises, Rosegang’s lyrical flow smooth and polished over the simple backing. It’s a clever combination, and all the more powerful for it, with hints of old-school Eminem, Coolio, or Nas to the feel.

Rosegang’s rapping fits neatly into the track, carrying lyrical themes of life’s struggles and the pain of loss and challenge, and the desire to rise above and better oneself. It’s narrative, storytelling vibe gives an authentic, autobiographical feel, passionate without being aggressive and resonant with honesty and rawness. It’s a superbly strong opener, made all the more potent through that simple production and the use of clever, compelling instrumentation.

You can hear ’12 Over 6’ on SoundCloud, and check out Rosegang on Spotify and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Doe Dillinger offers resilience in their adrenalizing indie trap track ‘Falling Down’

Posted on 4 April 2021

Breaking hip hop artist, Doe Dillinger, is riding their own wave in their trappy indie rap track ‘Falling Down’. If it’s been a while since you’ve been blown away by a phenomenal up and coming artist, hit play.

Their sound carries plenty of appeal for fans of Post Malone and Yelawolf yet, Dillinger was even more experimental with their instrumentals by allowing them to carry the same cutting air as the guitars in Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights album along with other post-rock nuances.

It’s tracks like Falling Down that make genres seem utterly irrelevant in 2021. With Dillinger’s tendency to create without constraint, there’s no telling what kind of adrenalizing alchemy you’ll be falling into with their tracks. Falling Down is the perfect ‘high-vibe’ hit for anyone who knows how hard it can be to pick themselves up and find the faith and resilience to carry on, all while unfolding as a dominantly electric hit.

Check out the official music video that launched on March 6th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tommi – Stay Close: absorbing indietronic trap

Posted on 25 March 2021

After a string of successful singles, alt-trap artist, Tommi, released their debut LP release ‘Tourist’ which exhibits their experimentally ethereal production style and tendency to delve deep with their introspection inspired lyricism.

The standout single, ‘Stay Close’ is as intimate and as absorbing as new wave trap gets. It holds just as much merit as a beguiling feat of instrumentally sparse indietronica as it does a lyrically-led trap track. Paradoxically, Stay Close is both bold and daring and absorbingly accordant all in the same affable urban breath.

While most artists create for themselves, Tommi creates for the younger generation. His music is essentially an invitation for others to see that you don’t need to be perfect to succeed. With his motto being ‘life lessons as studio sessions’, do I really need to tell you to get him on your radar?

Tourist is now available to stream and purchase in full via apple music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Doing it his style: Jay Wst flows the way he wants to on ‘Rebel’

Posted on 10 February 2021

Jay Wst gets the crew ready for action and shows us his dope flow on the new smoke-filled single ‘Rebel‘.

Jay Wst is an underground hip-hop artist and makes that kind of blaze-gaze reflection type of music, that has your head moving and your body ready for more.

With an indie-trap kind of stimulating style he flows with a pace that will you leave you in astonishment at his lyrical abilities. He raps about stories with his homies, life in this crazy world, making that money and doing things his way. This is a leader in his community who likes to call the shots and not have anyone gassing him up all the time.

An elusive street artist who is respected by the true hip-hop fans, you get the feeling that if he is focused and works on his branding, he could go as far as he wants to.

‘Rebel‘ from the criminally underrated Jay Wst, is that street-hop bounce that is for those who love that cruisin’ music out late at night. The rhymes open the curtain to what’s its like outside in those dark corners and with a rugged abandon, we are once again reminded of the ultimate underdog. He is a rapper that has so much talent and if he can get on the right feature or music festival, you will see him blow up.

When you get that one chance in life you have to take it and it feels like he will. In his own rebel way of course and he will always keep it real with his crew, as there is no other option.

Stream this late night ride music on his YouTube and check out IG for more.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

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

Older Posts