Italy’s Addict. and Rewind have shared a brand new single called “Have you ever been in love?” On this track, the duo provide bright, reminiscent vibes and a relatable message.
The instrumental for “Have you ever been in love?” is warm and nostalgic, centred around mellow ukuleles that are underscored by rich bass and bouncy percussion. Over top of the beat, the artists provide some wistful, atmospheric vocals full of spacey reverb. This track is vibrant and textured, carrying an uplifting mood with it.
Overall, their songwriting is catchy and this track has a lot of replay value. “Have you ever been in love?” continues the duo’s streak of emotive, relatable tracks, as they provide immaculate vibes on their latest release.
Up-and-coming 19-year-old artist PRAX, hailing from Melbourne, Australia, offers potent music that keeps the listener on their toes. His powerful, eclectic sound is exciting and captivating, as he fuses disparate genres into a blend that is refreshingly catchy. He has had a truly interesting journey in music, beginning as a busker and developing his style over a number of years, eventually connecting with a wide number of fans and achieving millions of streams online. It is his willingness to be emotive and vulnerable that helps him stand out from the rest, as he connects with people on a deeper level through his art.
PRAX’s latest offering “INSANE” is an invigorating blend of alt-pop, emo, and rock, utilizing noisy, dark elements to convey a foreboding mood. Distorted guitars make up the heart of its instrumental, as they ring out in exciting stabs over top of heavy percussion. Accompanied by bristling lead synths and rugged synth bass, this instrumental is immense and imposing while still remaining catchy. Moreover, PRAX comes through with some intoxicating vocals over top, giving a heartfelt performance that matches the beat’s nocturnal flair. He demonstrates his refreshing, expressive style here, adding a lot of personality to the beat and making this track even more fiery.
“INSANE” is an intense ride through the mind of the artist. On this track, PRAX shares his perspective with us in a candid manner, delving into his psyche and facing his shadow side. He tackles his demons head on, exploring difficult emotional territory. An artist unafraid of tapping into such topics as this, PRAX’s honestly makes him relatable, and makes the track more engaging and giving it much replay value.
PRAX has also released a new music video for “INSANE”, conveying the song’s dark, intense sound. The visual’s minimalism is effective in capturing the emotional honesty of the song. Moreover, it is also suitably personal, allowing us to connect with him on an intimate level. Check out the music video for “INSANE” here:
Overall, it is evident PRAX is an exciting rising artist to keep an eye on, as he has remained consistent in delivering potent, emotive songs. “INSANE” is another offering from him that has us hooked. If you want to stream more music from PRAX, go here:
Vancouver’s JML has come forth with a poignant new offering, showcasing his sharp skills as a songwriter. “CAMERAS” is the latest release from the prolific musician, who has risen in recent years through a series of strong singles, including the evocative “Chosen”. For his latest single “CAMERAS” , his expressive, refreshing style shines as he delivers easy-going, memorable verses and a catchy hook. Moreover, he comes through with an authentic, important message, discussing the ramifications of vanity in today’s materialistic society.
In Vancouver’s developing music scene, JML is an artist that provides a breath of fresh air with his honest style of songwriting. He weaves personal, potent narratives over top of cloudy, elegant production, giving his music an ethereal tone. Pairing his dream-like sound with real-to-life topics, the artist combines grounded sensibility with surrealism in a revitalizing manner.
This is especially evident on “CAMERAS”, a song that captures his multi-layered style with its combination of tranquil instrumentation and candid social commentary. Over mellow, glowing keys, JML meditates on the shallowness of today’s society and its pre-occupation with the superficial. Beneath, bouncy percussion and warm bass lock in a head-nodding rhythm, providing a solid foundation for his smooth vocals. As the song progresses, layers of synths are added, ultimately climaxing in a memorable, dynamic chorus. The production on “CAMERAS” as a whole is smooth, catchy, and immersive, giving the song much replay value.
All in all, the honesty with which JML approaches “CAMERAS” is commendable, and he executes his performance well, making for a compelling offering both vocally and instrumentally. The rising artist is certainly one to keep an eye out for in Vancouver and beyond, as his sound is mesmerizing and his subject material is thought provoking. It is evident that he wishes to tell an important, invigorating message with his music. Hopefully more is soon to come from him, as we are certainly hooked in by the elegant, hypnotic sound of “CAMERAS” as well as its truthful subject material.
Heem Da Dream is a rapper from Newark, New Jersey, and is one of the founders of the hip hop collective, Rap Villain. He is currently gearing up to release his debut mixtape titled Cosmic Hotel and dropped the single “Dark Side” earlier this year. We discussed his inspirations, creative process and his upcoming mixtape Cosmic Hotel.
Dami: What was your first introduction to hip hop?
Heem: My first introduction to hip hop was DMX. My mum had me listening to him from an early age.
Dami: What inspired you to start rapping?
Heem: First time I ever tried to rap was because of my 2 older cousins that used to make music but I was like 10 years old so I didn’t take it serious. When I got into high school, I was writing poetry and Rocket found out because we were both in the open mic club at our school. He convinced me to start rapping and it didn’t take a lot since he’s my brother.
Dami: Who are your biggest inspirations?
Heem: My biggest inspirations are my team Rap Villain. Alley Rocket, Nick Straight, Bobcat, Tac0o, and Thrizzy all inspire me to create music in different ways and their skills always drive me to push my pen. Outside of my team, my other inspirations are Jay Z, Kanye West, Drake, Andre 3000, 50 Cent and Lil Wayne.
Dami: What’s up with Cosmic Hotel?
Heem: Oh you’re going for the kill now. Cosmic Hotel is in the final stages of mixing and mastering. When that’s done, the rollout for the tape begins. I have a lot of visual content stacked up with the top shooter himself- Shialaboofpack – that I’m excited to drop for the people that support my music.
Dami: What should we expect from it?
Heem: You can expect a new sound from Cosmic Hotel that shows my growth while becoming more comfortable with my artistry and using my voice in more versatile ways as well.
Dami: What’s your creative process like?
Heem: My creative process usually goes 2 ways: When I’m by myself, I like to write at night in my room while I’m smoking with some anime on the TV in the background because that’s my type of vibe. The other way my creative process can go is when I’m with someone from my team (most of the time, its Rocket), we go through beats we get sent from Dren or engineers we work with and we play around with them spitting whatever comes off the top until we find a flow or melody that really sticks with us and we go from there.
Dami: How would you describe your style of music?
Heem: This is still a hard one for me to answer. I would consider my style as vibe music because I have songs that put people in different types of moods ranging from sadness or heartbreak to ‘I never cared about love’ to hype music that you would bump with your homies on a ride. That’s the best way I could put it into words right now if you feel what I’m saying.
Dami: Any dream collabs?
Heem: Some dream collabs I have to make happen one day are Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Kanye West, Drake, Tyler the Creator, and Jay Z. When it comes to the artistry of crafting music, they’re all on a different level.
Dami: What’s next for Heem Da Dream after Cosmic Hotel?
Heem: After Cosmic Hotel, I have a lot of music stacked up that I’ve been recording with Rap Villain’s engineer, Shaun. It’s just a matter of getting with my team when the time comes to decide what would be the best songs to drop and release visuals for.
Dami: What’s your biggest challenge as an artist?
Heem: I would say the biggest struggle is getting support where you’re from. In my experience so far with being an artist, it takes time to get people who know you or come from the same place as you to support you.
Nick Straight has finally dropped his long awaited tape Mango 22, and the New Jersey native didn’t disappoint with it. The 10 track tape boasts of production from Dren, Speedyondabeat, Davey Stop Playing, and RAF.
This album is full of songs for every occasion. Whether it’s the grimy Tacoo-assisted song “City of Hell”, where Nick and Tac trade verses about their city, or the banger “Blunt Effect”, where Nick uses his OG psychedelic trap sound, to the Alley Rocket assisted “Tony”, which showcases Nick and Rocket trading the heaviest of bars.
Mango 22 is honestly one of the hardest drops this year. The visuals for the lead track, “Blunt Effect”, which was directed by Shialaboofpack was dropped a few weeks after the release of this tape. According to Nick Straight, more visuals are on the way. Be sure to give this album a listen, and check out the “Key 2 My Heart” music video.
Alley Rocket is ready to shut down the clubs with this banger. The New Jersey native releases his first solo work in over 6 months, and what a better way to do that than with Jersey drill.
Alley Rocket already used his debut mixtape Apollo Boy to showcase his versatility, but “STIMMY” shows listeners that Rocket is as hungry as ever. An infectious flow, clever lyrics, and a deliver so perfect that you’ll immediately get up and start dancing. Rocket is ready to show that 2021 is his year for the taking.
When I asked Rocket what “STIMMY” meant to him, he said “it means that I’m just trying to show the world that my state has its own wave and that I represent New Jersey no matter what”. Alley Rocket said he made the track in hopes dancers can get busy to it since he also has a passion for dancing.
This track boats of amazing production from Dren and 809. “STIMMY” is heat, as expected, and with a song this amazing we can only imagine what other fire tracks Alley Rocket is gearing up to release.
DeEtta Jain has finally dropped her long awaited EP, A Walk in the Park , and this is not a project to be played with. Her amazing vocals coupled with her therapeutic voice gives the EP a soothing vibe. The tape boasts of production from DlzMksBts.
When I asked DeEtta what the EP meant to her, she said A Walk in the Park is a title that holds the same playful and momentous nature of the tracks. I wanted it to feel like a warm stroll at sunrise with surprises lurking in the play equipment”. Well, DeEtta sure makes music seem like a walk in the park with how effortless she sounded throughout the EP.
A Walk in the Park is the perfect project for the lovebirds, the ones still seeking love, late night rides and walks in the parks. With how amazing the EP was, we can’t wait to see what more DeEtta Jain has in store for us.
Long Island artist Onik has enlisted FindingVon for a new collaboration called “Couldn’t Find Myself”. Over top of groovy, warm guitars, the vocalists provide a reflective, pensive performance that keeps the listener on their toes.
The instrumental for “Couldn’t Help Myself” is emotive and bittersweet, using reminiscent guitars and bouncy drums to create a pensive mood. Moreover, the bass on the track is catchy and rich, enforcing a driving rhythm that gives the track much replay value. The drifting vocals from Onik and FindingVon convey a sense of longing and add layers to the song both emotionally and sonically, pairing with the beat smoothly to enhance the overall listening experience.
All in all, “Couldn’t Help Myself” is a poignant track from Onik and FindingVon that immediately draws the listener into its nostalgic atmosphere. The two artists share an effortlessly organic chemistry, and complement eachother’s vocal performance in a charming manner.
19 year-old Florida artist BigGuySky has shared a vibrant EP called Been Scarred. Over 6 potent, versatile tracks, the artist showcases his focused technical skills and his ear for catchy melodies.
The title track “Been Scarred” opens the album, introducing the record in a grand fashion. Here, a triumphant beat made up of powerful horns and crisp percussion blasts out, making a confident entrance. BigGuySky himself is a highlight of the song, as he comes through with some electrifying melodies and personal, emotive lyrics that draw one into the song’s atmosphere. Following this track up is “Moveee”, a track that is reflective in tone, slightly calming the energy and providing dynamics on the release. Here, Sky once again delivers some strong melodies, and the chorus is a true earworm.
“Happy” takes the album’s sound and drives it in a brighter direction. The instrumental is centred around sparkling keys and lively 808s, with clean drums locking in the rhythm. He sounds poised as a vocalist here, performing some introspective verses. Finally, the EP closes on a high note with gripping tracks “Your Face (Just Won’t Go Away)” and “Outta Time”. The latter is particularly captivating, with its drifting guitars and heartfelt vocals containing thoughtful lyrics.
Overall, Been Scarred is an engaging, honest release from BigGuySky that shows the young artist’s potential. The title track in particular is an invigorating listen, for it is an underrated banger that provides much replay value. Hopefully more is soon to come from this Florida musician, as this is certainly an enjoyable project from him early on in his career.
Berlin’s Mr Pigeons has returned with an excellent song called “Secret Circle” that “flew” under the radar, but certainly deserves wider attention. Featuring the talented Mehira Cruz, this release is expansive and freeing, containing an intriguing mood that escapes categorization.
The instrumental for “Secret Circle” is dreamlike and grand, conjuring an image of open skies or seas. It is made up of ethereal synths that drift beautifully over crisp percussion. Beneath, muscular 808s add balance to the song, giving it an energetic rhythm. Mr Pigeons comes through with some expressive verses, and caps it off with a mesmerizing hook, sung alongside Cruz. The chorus is especially captivating and well-written, beckoning many re-listens.
Overall, “Secret Circle” is a strong release from Mr Pigeons and Mehira Cruz, which hopefully signals a new full length project from him soon. Fresh off the heels of the boundary-pushing LP Pink Fossil, the artist is sounding better than ever and one can highly anticipate whatever comes up next from him.
ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 