The duo reunite to establish their electrifying yet harrowing sound, traveling deeper down a perplexingly fresh lane of gritty rap.
The 22-year old Yung Bambi is a regular when it comes to experimenting within his music, exemplified by the contrasting sounds of his breakout hits, “Lies Say I’m Fine” and “Wonky”, the latter sporting a feature from fellow Midnight Society member Kamiyada+. With a vast assortment of genres under his belt, Bambi constantly demonstrates his knack for beat selection. In June of 2018, he made this obvious as he linked with the decorated producer HOUNDS to craft their project DOGDEER, a visceral flurry of zealous drums, satisfyingly outlandish synths and numerous vocal cadences. Just over a year later, they have rendezvoused to deliver its vigorous sequel, DOGDEER II.
Right out of the gate, “INTRO!” sets the tone for the entire listen. A forboding synth alternates octaves in alliance with two breviloquent 808-lead drumlines, both of which pair well with Bambi’s charismatic beckonings: “Wrist frozone got these bitches crazy / I know she wanna fuck / nah there ain’t no maybe.” As the introduction ends, it seemingly prepares the listener for what is to come. This duo leaves nothing on the table, even revisiting the project’s lead single, “AGAIN!” to include the equally-gritty “AGAIN2!” with swanky lines like, “Her pussy super so she made my bed wetty / Arms ready / Nike on my chest / She check me.” By combining his boastful energy with clever wordplay and inflections, Bambi makes replay-value a motif throughout the entire 12-track project.
While its prequel embodied rambunctiousness and high-energy, DOGDEER II differs in the fact that it incorporates these elements while also cultivating a much more concisely experimental sound. HOUNDS embraces a new range of tempos and grooves with his production, opting for both the moderately paced “OPS!” and head-nodding furor of “PLANS!” (which features the familiar Kamiyada+, an ode to tradition). The pair has not necessarily strayed from their origination point. They have just refined it, producing tantalizingly catchy cuts such as “SLIGHTWORK!” in the process, where Bambi drifts above upbeat hi-hats that sideswipe courteously mixed claps and a stern cowbell. Parading over its infectious club groove, he is never short of sly jabs like, “She wanna go half time / Hand on the stick / Got her other on mine.”
The other area of this project’s spectrum is an experimental realm, where HOUNDS chooses ghastly noises over synths as Bambi selects a purposely raspy cadence to create the standout cuts like, “FEES! (freestyle),” and “DMS!” As they explore new avenues, they make sure to include exceptionally heavy songs reminiscent of this project’s predecessor, such as “HUNGER,” and “BAD! BITCH!”, where the duo brandishes their expectedly aggressive sonic tendencies better than ever before.