New Music

Jacob ZL – “Worst Days”

December 19, 2016

“They say the good die young and you know I’m still alive,” raps Flatbush’s Jacob ZL on his single “Worst Days.” Over a smooth beat courtesy of tomcbumps and purpan, Jacob recounts the time he spent with an old love. Discussing both the highs and the lows, “Worst Days'” dichotomy lifts the song from a depressing place into a vivid story. Passion drove ZL’s relationship and it wasn’t a sustainable deal, he claims with the line “How are we supposed to work when the first thought was that this wouldn’t work?” ZL’s crafted a track to vibe to but flexes his storytelling chops at the same time. Give it a listen below.

Lord OLO – “Dirty30”

December 19, 2016

Seattle’s Lord OLO commands a dark, cultish aesthetic. It’s represented masterfully and creepily in the video for his track “Dirty30.” Much of the video for the rap cut takes place on a Gameboy Color that appears to be projecting a new dimension. OLO makes a filtered appearance in the visuals, showing off his prowess with some clever bars like “No disrespect, your kitty just ain’t worth the litter.” Lord OLO has some DOOM vibes going in his lyricism too, particularly in the way that he talks about his OLO character. It’s like he’s telling a story firsthand about this figure, and it gets you itching to hear the next chapter. Listen to his album with producer Wann Sklobi here, and check out the video for “Dirty30” below.

-ToBy- – “flowers”

December 19, 2016

Miami rapper -ToBy- brings forth an experimental, yet accessible sound for his single “flowers.” The track speaks to ToBy’s feeling of taking part in an up and coming music scene. Demonstrated in the track’s artwork, ToBy comes from a scene that combines conventional rap influences and sounds with different forms of media like anime. “flowers” also teases some lo-fi, emotional sounds that we’ve seen from some Internet rap darlings, particularly out of Florida. ToBy’s at the forefront of a dope rap scene in southern Florida and “flowers” encapsulates both his and that regions sound. Give it a listen below.

Trilllhippy – “SENSATION”

December 16, 2016

Coming from Tallahassee by the way of Germany, Trilllhippy channels his stoner ways into the hazy hip hop track “Sensation.” Trilllhippy is just that, a cool young peacelover, and on “Sensation,” his vibes are rubbing off on a new romantic interest. The chorus is a window into their relationship, “She watch how I inhale it, I light it, she sense my stoner fragrance, she love it.” Youthful, excitable, and experimental, “Sensation” sums up the feeling of new love, new experiences, and living outside of responsibility. It’s a dope track. Listen to “Sensation” below and check out more from Trilllhippy here. 

nIgel – “Gray Music” ft. Neph

December 16, 2016

Chicago’s nIgel and his frequent collaborator Neph keep their rhymes black and white on “Gray Music.” The two Chicago rappers drop a couple of verses that evoke melancholy, washed feelings. Producer Weirddough sets this mood with a killer beat featuring haunting moans, some orchestral strings and jazzy drums. The rappers have sharp words but also flash their stoner ways in their lyricism. Much like the color in the title, several attitudes went into making “Gray Music.” Both solemn and incandescent, the track comes ahead of nIgel’s EP The Future Looks Gray with producer Xany, and they’ve produced some dope work in the past. Give it a listen below.

Kosha Dillz – “No You Can’t”

December 16, 2016

The premise of Israel-American rapper Kosha Dillz’ “No You Can’t” is to remind everyone that he’s reached a status where he doesn’t have to pass out favors. Whether that’s borrowing toilet paper or playing a show for free, that’s not something Kosha will subject himself too. Ripe with self-awareness, “No You Can’t” has the dope distinction of being a really funny track but also goes hard as hell. Dillz raps “Being stupid as hell’s the smartest thing I ever did,” but he’s more than capable of navigating the track’s zany, bloopy beat. After two hard verses, he breaks the song equivalent of the fourth wall, saying “Last verse better than the first two.” It’s little elements like this that make Kosha Dillz a fun, personable artist to listen to.  His personality comes with every bar. Give “No You Can’t” a listen below and check out more from Kosha here. 

$cotti Bishop – “And 1 Freestyle”

December 16, 2016

It’s going to take several listens to grab every bar that Sacramento rapper $cotti Bishop drops on his track “And 1 Freestyle,” but each one is worth it. With no flow off limits, he drops hard lines like “Make a 3 look like a free throw, make a dime look like a C-Note.” Each line comes with the assured brashness of Bishop’s delivery. The instrumental is a great beat for a cypher and Bishop uses it to his advantage, fitting everything you’d want into a freestyle rap song into two minutes. Listen to more from $cotti here and press play on the video for “And 1 Freestyle” below.

Mellow the Muse – “I’m in Church”

December 16, 2016

Mellow the Muse is a female rapper from Dallas, Texas with an unconventional, underground flow. It’s conversational but certainly not lazy, and her technique allows her to have a never-stop approach. She fires out sharp verses for two and a half minutes, only breaking to remind everyone that she’s in a place of divinity, nonchalantly quipping “I’m in Church.” The beat has some Tetris vibes to it, accompanied by some pounding bass and a taste of some haunting church chorus. Check out more from Mellow the Muse here and listen to “I’m in Church” below.

Automotive Steamhorse – “You’d Be Surprised”

December 16, 2016

We think brand new Seattle act Automotive Steamhorse are on to something with their latest single, the droning “You’d Be Surprised.” The song has a pretty unique backstory. “The lyrics of the song are based on a letter I received from an old friend who I counted cards with… There was a husband and wife who had about 10 people working under her, the FBI ended up busting them for fraud. They had ripped me off for thousands of dollars. The husband committed suicide – he took his motorcycle in the wrong lane of traffic. The wife ended up sending me a letter about two years after the fact, [and] all the lyrics are taken straight from the letter.” Recommended for fans of Pedro The Lion, Phantogram, or Radiohead. There’s also a music video for “You’d Be Surprised” – check it out here. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/247110926″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Cities Vanishing – “I Want To Know What The Wind Blows Like”

December 15, 2016

Noisy duo Cities Vanishing caught our ears with the overblown, lo-fi production of “I Want To Know What The Wind Blows Like.” This is the first of five urgent songs that the duo penned together, with “the girl” ripping the theremin and some guitar, and “the guy” shredding drums and some more guitar. Fans of The Thermals or Ted Leo will be jazzed for sure. We think you all should get into these guys before everyone else – listen below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/295166278″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

NE-HI – “Stay Young”

December 14, 2016

After cutting their teeth in underground Chicago venues, NE-HI have refined their songwriting into blissfully hazy guitar pop, demonstrated best by lead single “Stay Young.” We especially dig their music video for the tune, which continues their vintage and hazy vibes with swirling visuals and an overall nod to nostalgia. Dream poppers, post-punkers, and Springsteen fans will all find solace in this mid-western quartet’s music. If you dig “Stay Young,” pre-order Offers on Bandcamp.

Oghenero – “Def”

December 13, 2016

Calgary MC Oghenero’s lone wolf makeup comes through in his powerful rhymes. On his first single “Def,” his cutting voice lays down verses of sobering aggression to his competition. He’s rapping with the attitude of someone confident enough to only need himself, and remind his listeners of that in his verses with lines like “You call it burning I just call it rerouting.” “Def” has the spirit of a freestyle and its Bobby Shmurda-esque instrumental provide the perfect landscape. Give it a listen below, and check out the rest of Oghenero’s tracks here.

Dezert Eez – “Rolex Dreamin ft. Talib Kweli”

December 13, 2016

Michigan staple Dezert Eez link up with hip hop legend Talib Kweli on their single “Rolex Dreamin’.” An awesome posse cut, “Rolex Dreamin'” features four furious verses from Kweli and the Dezert Eez trio of 5-Star, Nivek and O’Nill. Talib kicks things off, likening himself to a bird of prey as he vocalizes his viciousness. From there, Eez takes their turns dancing around a great chorus shouting out good drinks, weed, and a great home in the Great Lakes. These dudes are pure spitters, with verses heavy on wordplay and internal rhyme schemes. Even a smoke session has imagery to it in the hands of Eez, highlighted with the line from the closing verse, “smoking algae in the squad in my unc’s garage, collared greens now it’s Nike’s out the box, breaking bread with the guys at the liquor spot.” It’s a dope posse cut from a dope posse, give it[...]

Turquoise Noise – “Matters of Fact”

December 12, 2016

Turquoise Noise is Los Angeles-based neo-psychedelic, alt-rock quintet. We think y’all will enjoy their latest jam, “Matters of Fact.” The group combines swimmy atmospherics with an overall upbeat disposition, being sure to toss in lots of stop/start dynamics. Fans of Young The Giant, Cold War Kids, or Atlas Genius should feel right at home. If you’re into it, stream that jazz via Spotify. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/295630177″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Animal Feelings – “Lonely feat. Morgxn”

December 12, 2016

Animal Feelings, (aka Oli Chang, member of dream pop band High Highs), shared jis new single with us and we dig it. “Lonely” is the first song to be release from his new EP, due out in January 2017. “Lonely” is a slow burning and incredibly chill song that highlights a forlorn vocal contribution from Morgxn. “Lonely” could appeal to fans of chillwave like Washed Out or modern hip-hop with an indietronica twist. Animal Feelings also has a Tumblr – check it out. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/295709304″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]