Browsing Tag

Alt Hip Hop

Don Favelli rivals Al Pacino in his cinematic new wave rap track, Mobstas Interlude

Posted on 27 June 2022
Don Favelli

Taken from his dynamic hip hop album, COSMIC, which enmeshes old school with the new wave, Don Favelli’s standout hit, Mobstas Interlude, lets the vibe lead the track as much as the 808s that rattle in the minimalist production under Favelli’s dominant rap bars.

With cinematic melodies running against the bars that make it impossible to guess who inspired Favelli to step to the mic in the first place, getting immersed in the atmosphere of Mobstas Interlude is non-optional.

Since making his debut, the San Diego-hailing up-and-coming artist has allowed his lyrical storytelling and cutting introspective to define him. Sonically, he’s all over the urban spectrum. Paying little attention to squeezing his expression into pigeon holes, ultimately aiding an expansive feel to every track.

Check out Don Favelli on his website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ashes to Amber took the evolution of indie one off-kilter step further with HEEBIE JEEBIES

Posted on 24 June 2022
https://soundcloud.com/steedyroyce/heebee-jeebies-1/s-dMU88ZdfQch?in=steedyroyce/sets/heebee-geebees/s-wNN99aj7fTk&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

It isn’t all too long after the prelude that trying to pull out genre or reminiscence from Ashes to Amber’s latest single, HEEBIE JEEBIES starts to feel redundant. The unapologetic indie originator is one of the increasingly rare new names that are willing to expose his soul on the airwaves without hiding behind the style of another.

From gorgeously angular guitars fed through frenetic loops to harsh dancey synthetic textures to hip hop beats to cosmic blisters of dream pop, it’s all fed into the electrifying livewire of a title single to his forthcoming EP. As an anchor for sonic sanctity, Ashes to Amber gave us his sweetest indie-pop vocals, which will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of Peace, Jaws, the 1975, The Maccabees, and Swim Deep.

The HEEBIE JEEBIES EP will officially drop on June 24th. You can hear it for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Andrew Brown looks for the light in his debut RnB single, In the Dark

Posted on 17 June 2022

For his alt-RnB debut, the independent artist and producer, Andrew Brown, went all-in with the trippy minor-key melodies in his poised yet profoundly raw single, In the Dark, which lasciviously flirts with elements of pop and new wave hip hop after its sombre and ballad-like intro.

When in full momentum, In the Dark is a visceral triumph of experimentalism and straight from the sad boi soul expression. While there is a little room for improvement in the production with the slightly excessive use of phasing, all in all, In the Dark stands as an all too promising debut for Andrew Brown. You can hear it for yourselves by heading to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slide into Izaiah Bangz’s latest new wave rap track, Messenger

Posted on 13 June 2022

Like a laureate of the modern age, the trap pop artist Izaiah Bangz is always true to his moniker and bang-on his cutting narratives of 2022 romance. While I never quite anticipated a love song that mentions Chik-Fill-A, Bangz runs the reference right through his vibey latest release, Messenger, that borders on ethereal with its dreamy RnB layers.

After making his debut in 2019, Izaiah Bangz hasn’t failed to amass a following around his soul-steeped hard hitters that make it infinitely easier for his fans to navigate the digitally dystopic age of romance. After the release of Messenger, he is well on his way to racking up over 15k streams just a few days after the release. After the drop of his forthcoming self-titled debut album, it is safe to say Izaiah Bangz is going to be an unstoppable force in the new wave of hip hop.

Messenger is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

FIFTY VINC gives us dark cinematic conviction in his latest single, We Gonna Make It

Posted on 6 June 2022

Take the darkest rap track to have ever dominated your eardrums, throw plenty of cinematic flair on it, light it up with motivational conviction, and you may just get close to imagining what FIFTY VINC delivered in his latest single, We Gonna Make It.

And yeah, I know, all of that sounds like hyperbole, but once you hit play, you’ll soon see that even the most superfluous attempts to encapsulate the energy in We Gonna Make It is utterly futile.

The German music producer, composer for TV and Film and founder of FIFTY VINC productions has already sealed sync deals with some of the biggest networks in the industry, including Battle Of The Year, NBA, NFL, DAZN, ProSieben, RTL, UFC, SkySport and MTV.

There is an unignorable immensity to his production style that is undoubtedly going to see him go even further in his already glistening career.

We Gonna Make It is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rheez. resiliently bares all in his compassionately cinematic rap track, True Wounds

Posted on 27 May 2022

After so many people connected with his sophomore single PTSD, the Maltese rapper with UK roots, Rheez., extended much of the same compassion that allowed him to amass 10,000 Spotify streams in just 10 days with his third single, True Wounds. It unveils exactly what it says on the tin.

He set the expressive bar with True Wounds with his determination to step in the ring with his demons to make it a fairer fight for his listeners, making him the ultimate new wave heavyweight in our minds, ears and eyes.

True Wounds spins a personal tale while delivering vindication hand over fist to anyone that has felt similarly starved of solidarity due to a lifeline that puts a mind on trial. In a subversive way, Rheez delivers the bruisingly efficacious reminders that giving in is always an option, no matter how down and out you feel. To contrast his visceral words, production-wise, he ensured that the melodies ran artfully smooth.

In his own words, here is what Rheez. had to say about his third single:

“This song is a biography of all the trials and tribulations I faced throughout my life. As painful as it was to go in-depth talking on these subjects, I felt like if I am not 100% honest during my journey as an artist, I am depriving my fans of more insight to hopefully be moved by. It’s a story of adversity, the ending, a message of never giving up.”

True Wounds is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Decoy Duns sharpened his razor-sharp flow in his latest rap track, WINDCHIMES

Posted on 26 May 2022

Decoy Duns first hit the Houston hip hop scene in 1998; after a series of successful releases between 2001 and 2010, he took a 10-year hiatus before making a triumphant return in 2020. His latest single, WINDCHIMES, stands as a testament to just how refined his choppy fast bars have become and how much he has sharpened his lyrical wit to complement the flair in his canter.

Yet, it’s the honesty within WINDCHIMES that sets Decoy Duns apart from the rest. It’s rare to get a sense that every bar came straight from the soul, but evidently, he made no bones about exposing impassioned emotion through WINDCHIMES. Production-wise, WINDCHIMES throws ambient elements into the vivacity of the alt-hip-hop instrumentals that are sure to get the dopamine flowing.

Hear the Radio Edit of WINDCHIMES on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Malta rapper Rheez. holds no prisoners in his sophomore single, PTSD

Posted on 6 May 2022

After a successful debut, new wave rap artist and producer Rheez. boldly blazed in with his sophomore single PTSD. If any track has the power to affirm just why so many people are losing their sanity lately, it’s this stormer of a grime and alt-hip hop cocktail.

The intro is an efficacious hook into the Malta-based artist’s candid track that holds no prisoners when picking out the most disparaging facets of our human existence. With lines such as “dad on the phone saying son they can’t clone you” and “Shout out to the internet champions, TikTok is your only throne” put up against each other, Rheez. tears through our obsession with superficiality and tendency to turn a blind eye to the real issues.

Rheez. may claim that he is turning nothing into something with his music, making humility another attractive aspect of his artistic presence. But his willingness to hold humanity accountable and speak out so convictively on one of the most stigmatised conditions known to man makes him equally as important as any of the overhyped artists with vacuous premises for their tracks.

PTSD was officially released on May 6th; you can check it out for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Its all in the vibe in 2Dope.Ty’s latest infectiously dynamic feat of hip hop, Picture Perfect

Posted on 4 May 2022

Perfection doesn’t exist, but 2Dope.Ty, came pretty close in his latest bass-dripping darkly timbered rap track, Picture Perfect. It is a scathingly revealing snapshot of everything we want to project into the world. The razor-sharpness of the lyrics that bring you into the ludicrousness of our current status-obsessed reality is a testament to the North Carolina-based artist’s vernacular and wit that was formed through dabbling with poetry.

Stylistically, 2Dope.Ty staked his dynamic claim that allows his music to appeal to everyone, from Kendrick Lamar to Juice Wrld, without leaning on assimilation. There is something all too immersive about his laidback delivery of aggressive bars. While Picture Perfect is running through, it becomes a new gritty source of gravity. And we’re pretty sure that there isn’t a vibe check in the world that 2Dope.Ty couldn’t pass. He’s firmly affixed to our radar from here on out.

Picture Perfect is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Twivee – GODLIKE feat Jay Will: Hip Hop to Get Pious To

Posted on 29 April 2022

For his latest release, hip hop writer, mixer, and producer, Twivee, collaborated with new wave pioneer Jay Will to create a stormer of an impassioned alt hip hop hit. GODLIKE is enough to leave you feeling pious to the aggravatedly experimental talent.

The bass is just about enough to rival the wild energy that carouses through Twivee’s rap bars that are rampant with hook-filled cursive. The UK artist’s intensity has already been lauded across the board, and he’s become a firm favourite of BBC Introducing with his truly authentic hard-hitting sound. It’s all too easy to see why.

GODLIKE feat Jay Will is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast