If Tom Penny’s third LP, Both Sides of the Coin doesn’t feature on every rap publication’s album of the year list, we riot. The album pulls back the façade to narrate the UK rapper’s struggles and subsequent growth, drawing from his early freestyling days and his evolving passion for hip-hop influenced by lyrical legends such as Kendrick Lamar, Loyle Carner, and J Cole.
One of the standout tracks, Spiral of Fumes, kicks off with an extended, wavy prelude imbued with etherealism, setting a reflective mood before the beat drops, establishing a magnetic rhythm beneath Penny’s melodiously smooth spoken-word cadence.
You won’t just hang off every word in his bars, you’ll be engrossed in every syllable as Penny establishes himself as one of the most eloquent wordsmiths in the UK hip-hop scene, with emotionally bruising bars reminiscent of Kae Tempest and George the Poet.
By the outro, Spiral of Fumes fully reveals the kind of artist Tom Penny is—one who extracts relatable poetry from idiosyncrasy, stripping bare while simultaneously reflecting the listener’s mental state.
With his surging streaming stats testifying to his growing renown, it’s only a matter of time before he rises through the ranks and holds dominion over the UK scene.
Spiral of Fumes is now available to stream with the LP Both Sides of the Coin on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
