The New Jersey artist explores themes of success and growth in this glistening collection of songs.
Leaving behind a trail of lullaby infused records, alternative instrumentals, and a handful of piano driven ballads, shinigami has persevered into themes he has left mostly unexplored until now. While the New Jersey native shinigami has flowed atop what some would call trap instrumentation before, his latest effort entitled Zero seems to be spawn from the ilk of artists like Bladee and Future. With a run time of only 18 minutes, shinigami has thoughtfully curated and created a playlist of songs that could potentially hold their own against mainstream radio singles.
Opening up the project, “Gem Stones” is the signifying track that shinigami is trying to artistically push himself into new territories. As shinigami sings across the song in a soft and mellow flow, 808s drive through the Lusi produced track. The song sets the tone for the rest of the project, as shinigami performs one of, if not his most fun hook to date.
Yeah I’m glowin’ like a gem stone // Blowin’ all this dope inside my room
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) // All this guap got me cryin’ to the bank // Yeah, you know I’m making moves (woah) //
With “Good Life“, shinigami discusses the trials and tribulations he has faced ever since debuting in the underground scene. shinigami notes how everyone seemingly wants him to be sad, while he opts instead to live by his own terms for a ‘good life’. While the beat rings true in harmony alongside shinigami on “Good Life”, every other instrumental through Zero does the same. Glitzy synth melodies and trap percussion suit the vocalist perfectly.
Continuing through Zero, shinigami continually highlights his newfound braggadocios introspection. Like “Good Life”, both “Big Bad Wolf” and “Pretty Bitch” are all inherent celebrations of the self. shinigami has evidently expanded his own lyrical content as a writer, as he shies away from depressing details to more exuberant lyrics about other aspects of his life, unlike previous projects.
shinigami has had many different phases throughout his career, and with Zero, shinigami shows he is not done exploring new breeds of his musical output. Whether or not shinigami continues to traverse other styles, he has displayed skill throughout his musical maturation on each project. shinigami has grown track by track, and has sincerely progressed through his career. With the amount of promise shinigami holds onto from Zero, there are many reasons to be excited for his next project. Listen to Zero below.