With another month coming to a close, it brought with it plenty of new music to grace your ears. Of course, keeping up with every artist you have even a passing interest in is an impossible task, and sometimes you miss new music. But that’s why we’re here, to Hit the Rewind on July and take a look at some music that’s worth your time, even if you didn’t notice it on your first fly by.
Event Horizon – Like I’m Dying (ft. 93FEETOFSMOKE & fats’e)
Event Horizon brings a truly uniquely produced sound to the table on recent track “Like I’m Dying,” incorporating orchestral, choral, and electronic elements seamlessly. The result feels like something that wouldn’t feel strange gracing the presence of a JRPG’s penultimate boss. Every vocalist on the song is worth their salt and brings their own texture to the melody, wrapping up a package that really stands out from its contemporaries. Listen to this mixed black cauldron of genre right here.
love-sadKiD – Vinyl ! w/atlas & forrest
Smooth and catchy raps about love and its absence spat over lush, café-like beats. This is a short summary of the sound love-sadKiD tends to lean on, but the key word is “short,” because it’s honestly short changing their talent, especially lyricism. “Vinyl !” doesn’t stray from the path but it sure ahead forges ahead with tenacity, clearly one of the artists’ strongest releases to date. Features from atlas and forrest are a perfect fit and give the track enough fun and diversity to truly give the listener the urge to dance. Get wrapped up in the rhythm’s cavort here.
guardin – addicted (prod. Taylor Morgan)
Guardin is a talented artist, there’s no doubt there. Outsider, his release from earlier this year, clearly demonstrates this. But I’d be lying if I said that the reason I put this track on here wasn’t largely due to the amazing Taylor Morgan production on the song. It’s nothing but a benefit that you’ve got someone as good of a vocalist like guardin coming over the track. The pulsing guitar in the song push it along in such a nice groove and flow. Take a listen to it here.
flowars – Tokyo Driftwood [prod. lil biscuit]
There’s something that has to be said for a song that can perfectly encapsulate its own title within its title. flowars brings some stellar lyricism on this track, hitting hard with personal emotion and telling story through song. There’s this aspect of songs that I personally dub as “feel” that is extremely hard to put into words, and the “feel” on “Tokyo Driftwood” is no different. It begs to be listened to personally instead of read about. Sit back and drift away right here.
Kaiyko – Any Sign of Anything (prod. save me)
Kaiyko just seems like a star. The vocals she brings are insane, with her songwriting is tight and recognizable. I’m pretty sure the only reason she’s not famous at this point is that people don’t know how to pronounce her name. Keeping up with a well established track record, “Any Sign of Anything” is a simultaneously powerful and peaceful anthem to one’s longing and anxiety. What else can I say? This artist doesn’t seem to know how to make bad music. See, or well, hear the signs of that statement right here.
Ashton Traiter – rapunzel (prod. samsdead)
One deleted tweet later and I can’t prove to you that Shinigami said that Ashton Traitor is one of the most underrated artists right now, but I hope you can take my word for it. In all honesty, recent track “Rapunzel” should be more than enough evidence to point you to the same conclusion. Beautiful production courtesy of samsdead and tastefully modulated vocals carry this song through, and Ashton Traitor finds a really great balance between the alternative, guitar-based sample work of recent times and more traditional trap lyricism and delivery. Listen to this un-cite-able enigma right here.
VELVETEARS – PINS AND NEEDLES
VELVETEARS’ recent album is a lush 7-track showcase of all the artists’ strengths. Everything points to somebody who’s been working hard for a while polishing and refining the sound they’ve established to a point, which happens to be exactly what’s on display. Various producers and an Aaron Cartier feature don’t detract that this is truly a VELVETEARS piece of work, carried with her droning, soulful vocals all the way through. From the poppily produced “I Don’t Want to Be Here” to the dreamscape style of You Know I Know, VELVETEARS’ PINS AND NEEDLES is precisely a picture of an artist putting their craft to the test and coming out the other side battle hardened. Also, “Leave Me Alone” is damn awesome and I’m usually the guy to try and elaborate but I don’t think much else needs to be said about it.
Listen here.