It’s never male artists who get described as unapologetic when they bring their fire, exposing the deep roots of misogyny that Kylie XO tears away with the force of a juggernaut in the high-octane anthem, which amplifies aural punches instead of pulling them. No patriarchal sickness gets away unscathed in UNHINGED; from sardonic attacks on the trad wife phenomenon to the expectation to fall in line with gender stereotypes to juicy threats of drowning poisonous protagonists in amniotic fluid.
Sonically, UNHINGED is just as fierce as the thematic core of the track. The way the track layers melodic harmonies, fervent rap bars and sound bites of sexism with scratchy samples and massive beats makes it an attack on the senses — one that will drive the same fury into you and rile you out of passive repose.
Taken from the TRANSMISSION 1 EP, UNHINGED marks Kylie XO’s place in hip-hop not as an up-and-comer but as a sonic insurgent. The queer British–New Zealand rapper and producer delivers everything the scene has been starving for: audacity, originality, venom, and charisma with no off-switch. Her high-energy performances are a seismic shift.
The scene won’t know peace until she’s finished burning through the fake, the sexist, and the submissive with verses like switchblades and beats that detonate on impact.
UNHINGED is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud and Apple Music.
Review by Amelia Vandergast