Massachusetts artists Big Drip and ELLIS! have shared a new single called “bizness”. Featuring a powerful instrumental centred around triumphant, reverb-soaked reversed samples, addictive keys, and booming 808s, “bizness” is an exhilarating listen. As Big Drip and ELLIS! come through with some charismatic, ambitious vocals that captivate with their grandiose mood, one cannot help but get drawn into the imposing atmosphere “bizness” creates. The latest offering from these two prolific artists, this song provides heaps of style and infectious songwriting that had us hooked from the get-go.
Fatboi Sharif and LoneSword have shared a fresh new EP called Cyber City Society. An appropriately titled project, it presents a set of futuristic, mind-expanding tracks that surprise at every turn.
Cyber City Society kicks off with the glitchy, cerebral “Acid Rain”, a track that uses walls of sound to conjure an apocalyptic mood. Featuring sinister reversed samples and gritty, lo-fi drums, this instrumental from LoneSword feels perfect for Sharif’s eccentric, vibrant lyricism. “Acid Rain” transitions smoothly into the next track “Plastered”, a slower, surrealist joint centred around syrupy samples that twist psychedelically underneath Sharif’s deep vocals. Here, he rides LoneSword’s kaleidoscopic production with ease, showcasing his knack for off-the-wall, dynamic flows.
A highlight song appears in “Monster Theme”, featuring L.I.F.E. Long, which uses a minimalistic instrumental and languid vocals to create an icy, foreboding soundscape. A mind-expanding offering, “Monster Theme” feels as if it travelled back from the future to be harboured on this EP. Finally, the project closes out with “Adolescence”, an atmospheric song that uses space interestingly, as city sounds soaked in reverb echo beneath Sharif’s vividly poetic verses. A stimulating flood of imagery, “Adolescence”‘ makes for an evocative, dream-like way to close the EP.
An intriguing, dense project from Fatboi Sharif and LoneSword, Cyber City Society is admirable in its bold experimentation, as well as its emotive and evocative lyricism and production. Following up last year’s acclaimed album Gandhi Loves Children, Sharif seems to be expanding his already progressive sound here alongside talented producer LoneSword.
Savannah, Georgia-based artist The China Blue has returned with a new single called “Out of My Mind”. Pairing pop sensibilities and an ear for memorable melodies with refreshingly forward-thinking sounds, this track is groovy, futuristic and layered, making for an intriguing listening experience. As The China Blue delivers heartfelt lyrical content discussing mental health and its repercussions, one can’t help but identify with his themes on various levels, making this track relatable and necessary. On top of the boldly personal content, his songwriting is sharp and his melodies infectious, giving “Out of My Mind” much replay value. Following his recent EP, the progressive The Last Several Months, “Out of My Mind” finds The China Blue continuing to expand his character-rich, idiosyncratic sound, captivating the listener in the process.
NxG has been making a lot of noise in the Philly scene, recently dropping his debut album Outta Here Soon in collaboration with Working On Dying, which proceeds many other solid projects such as “Baguettes” and his Genesis EP, and NxG has delivered again. The latest single from the burgeoning rap star, “Vagabond”, showcases a consistent ability to lay down strong tracks. This song has got the hard-hitting, wavy, auto-tuned, atmosphere that drew me to his music in the first place, and being a Philly native it’s hard not to draw comparisons to Lil Uzi Vert as they both have that same explosive energy and distinct sound. NxG is one to watch.
Rising Chicago artist Morgan Gold has shared an immersive release titled “2 Q U E E N S (Live From The Hummingbyrd Sessions)”. Gold, who first came onto our radar with the sublime HEALING EP last year, showcases her versatility with this new single, providing an enticing acoustic style, contrasting her other recent work. A smoky, atmospheric song that puts Gold’s evocatively heartfelt vocals at the forefront, “2 Q U E E N S” captivates with its sparse yet grandly beautiful sound. As dream-like guitars hover beneath, one can’t help but get drawn deeply into this song’s moody, warm ambiance. An offering that has us excited for another project from Gold, “2 Q U E E N S (Live From The Hummingbyrd Sessions)” focused songwriting and emotional resonance is hard to ignore.
Listen to “2 Q U E E N S (Live From The Hummingbyrd Sessions)” now:
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, rapper 01.EKKA has come through with a new release in “Hotel Eternal”, accompanied by a refreshing, nocturnal visualizer. An immersive, dark track, “Hotel Eternal”‘s chilling sound is built around menacing keys and ghostly guitars, underscored by crisp, head-nodding percussion. Paired with 01.EKKA’s charismatic, bold flow and descriptive lyricism, this track provides a cohesive package that kept our full attention throughout. This song explores how leading a life of lust can lead to clashes with long term goals, making for a thought-provoking theme as well. An intriguing, addictive new offering from 01.EKKA, “Hotel Eternal” will likely remain in our rotation for the foreseeable future.
It’s Midnight has returned with a new single called “Somebody To Heal”. An energizing offering with a euphoric, sharply-crafted chorus, this joint provides a refreshing mood and heavy replay value. A character-rich, genre-blending offering, “Somebody to Heal” combines influences from house, hip-hop, and pop to craft a mixture that is simply intoxicating. Moreover, It’s Midnight’s melodies are infectious, making this song a fun-loving listening experience overall.
Oklahoma-bred, California-based artist KAWN has shared a new single called “Complicated”, assisted by juke21k. Pairing fun-loving, warm production with addictive vocal melodies delivered with charisma and style, “Complicated” is a cut that is easy to keep replaying over and over. As nostalgic, summery guitars play out above crisp percussion and energizing 808s, this track picks up an infectious groove, laying a solid foundation for KAWN & juke21k’s sharply-crafted vocal performances. As it is still early for KAWN, with this being his first single on streaming platforms, we can’t wait to hear what’s coming next from him.
New York artist Zay Suav has returned once again with a new single called “Like A Ghost”. The highly prolific musician, who has released a consistent series of strong singles of late, continues to progress his melodic, atmospheric sound on “Like A Ghost”, an aptly titled track that is ethereal in mood. Here, warm guitars and dream-like keys create an addictive melody that underscores Suav’s smooth vocals nicely. When bouncy percussion and immersive 808s are brought in, the song soars to higher levels, picking up an addictive rhythm that gives it heavy replay value. Another solid offering from Zay Suav, “Like A Ghost” finds him progressing his songwriting even further, while once again showing his natural ear for catchy, quality production.
Stone Mountain, Georgia’s Raury has returned with “Channel Zero”, a refreshingly forward-thinking offering that captured our attention immediately. The genre-blending artist has consistently put creativity first throughout his career, producing intuitive music that carries a free-spirited feeling. “Channel Zero” is no different in that regard, although it finds him exploring new ground sonically, with experimental hip-hop elements blending with electronic, folk, and alternative R&B to create a psychedelic journey for the listener. With rapid, organic-sounding drums creating a revitalizing rhythm as angelic backing vocals and relaxed guitars floating above, “Channel Zero”‘s instrumentation inspires clarity and reflection. Paired with a poetic, smooth flow from Raury, “Channel Zero” provides a cohesive whole package, conjuring a peaceful and uplifting mood that embraces with warmth.
ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 