By Jacob Ezra
New York artist Rouge Kills Flies has returned with a fresh LP called THE BURNING. The versatile musician’s highly conceptual new album, THE BURNING, is a collection of songs that utilize forward-thinking sounds to craft immersive world-building for the listener. The LP is centred around the theme of fire as representative of both destruction and rebirth, and it poignantly embraces topics climate change, technological advancement, capitalism, burnout, self-discovery, reincarnation, finding light in times of darkness, and more across its track-listing.
Sonically, Rouge Kills Flies enlists soundscapes that feel rooted in classic New York hip-hop influences, yet are at the same time futuristic and refreshingly experimental. Darkly hypnotic, eery sonic palettes underscored by gritty DnB-influenced drum loops appear throughout THE BURNING– while vocally Rouge delivers a raw rap flow that flirts with punk at numerous points.
The insidious instrumentation, pounding percussion, and imagery-rich, cathartic vocals of “ANDROIDS DREAD THE REDS” make the song feel like a lament to destruction, while “718 HELL” paints a portrait of NYC with a blend of stark realism and dark abstraction. Rouge adds dynamics to the project with lighter moments like “LIFE_IN_A_TAXI_CAB”, with its vivid synth flourishes and poetic verses from Rouge, which present some of his strongest writing on the LP. Similar motifs appear again on “THE GHOSTS AIN’T REAL”, a highlight joint on the album laced with mysterious instrumentation and potent lyricism from Rouge.
Chock full of creative moments that will challenge the listener and stimulate the mind and senses, THE BURNING is a tour-de-force of forward-thinking East Coast hip-hop that immerses the listener in a surreal, dark world from the get-go. Listen to THE BURNING here now.
Watch the music videos from THE BURNING HERE.
ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 