Lifting us from the monotony of ego-driven hip-hop, the Brooklyn-based-rapper, Quilley, raised the expressive bar with the resonant dualism within his two-track EP, Half-Hearted. If you have ever wanted to know what lies on the flip side of the love songs penned in the honeymoon phase that proliferate the airwaves, this conceptual release will fill in the gaps.
I couldn’t help but be remained of the philosophy from Alain De Botton listening to Half-Hearted run through. How all the great romantic stories of the ages never allow love to endure. There’s always the grip of tragedy to obliterate the notion of mundanity or the eventual slip away from the affection that inspired hot-headed limerence in the early days.
Track 1, “That’s My Baby” kicks off with a smooth RnB Pop tinged flow behind the steady kicks and the sultry bars, before the romanticism entirely evades track 2, “Valloween”, which runs through as a trippy new wave spoken-word hit of volition.
Quilley knew just how to allow his audience to catch a vibe while laying it all down on the line in his Half-Hearted EP. The smooth grooves, razor-sharp bars, and intensity of sincerity in the lyrics stand as a triadic testament to the luminary artist’s talent that shines through his expressively humble ethos. He may not be shooting for fame, but he deserves it regardless. Get his candour in your ears. You won’t regret it.
“More than anything, my EP is about that Cloud Nine feeling of being in love and eventually being done with it. How many times can we have that feeling without becoming accustomed to it? “That’s My Baby” and “Valloween” really display that contrast.”
Half-Hearted will be available to stream on Spotify from March 10th.
Follow Quilley on Instagram.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
