Written by Elijah P. Electronic artist and singer-songwriter vice* laces together the heartaches of emo-rap and the intricacies of glitch pop into a neatly tied debut EP. In a world where the Lil Peeps and Wicca Phase Spring Eternals have shifted into heavier and denser material, there exists a younger and fresh breed of producers hopping on the stepping stones of the aforementioned artists, and vice* is one of those fresh artists alley-ooping themselves to the grander playing field. In debut EP “syzygy”, the 6-track project constantly builds a world of its own; it finds itself deconstructed, intentionally self-destructing and implodes everywhere. But the end result is it finds a place to fall sprucely. The possibilities of this project falling under banal, predictable pacing and lyrics are slim. There’s potent pop writing to be found in “syzygy”; In “hit me!”, trance and math-rock chords find themselves in constant harmony with each other while “takeUdown” forces the shattering, glitchy, frying pan percussions to shine among the poppy hooks. “inner me” showcases a more straightforward, lesser noise in the forefront but capitalizing on melodic writing at the combat zone. If you think about it carefully, for the project to escape the monotony of emo-rap and its cliches, vice* opens a new window of possibility in terms of blending emotive vocals through explosive, maximalist production. vice* can range from distressing to level-headed delivery, the production does most of the talking. Prancing past the familiarity of what emo-pop and emo-rap did during the mid 2010s Soundcloud explosion, vice* knows how to structure a full-length release from its hyper highs to its emotionally-charged tamer back half. The first half of the project has found its comfort zone, linking together genre labels and ultimately liquifying those same labels, forging into something groundbreaking in the end. From front to back, vice* has a unit behind him that’s supported him from the very start, eventually creating a sonically rich project that can possibly stand the test of time. With vice* being in the 2020s, there’s a balance in the world of experimental pop and hip-hop. SUPPORT THE ART & THE ARTIST:
Tag: Alternative hip-hop
TRACK REVIEW: kyleaux ft. Never Paco – angel
Written by Elijah P. Makati’s prodigies kyleaux and Never Paco rep the 25hearts banner in a hazy collaborative track titled “angel”. After being filtered in webcams and IG love stories, the duo worked on a track that envisions a purple house show with smoke machines and contemporary r&b—dousing in cloudy production and vocal layers that thicken the atmosphere 2 times more than the usual love song. “angel” balances between euphoric tag team verses and helium-like delivery to evoke an effective cloud 9 experience for the listener outside of the typical cloudrap tracks of today. There are more than ounces of potential in every bit of harmonization – and autotune is already out of the question for a catchy track like this. kyleaux kicked off the track like it was a sweet date at a gas station while Never Paco bookended it with ebullient synths fading in the distance. “angel” is a career-making move for both young rappers in the scene and there’s much to discover while the two are beginning to hit it big soon. Support the art & the artist:
TRACK REVIEW: Pikunin – ★·.·´¯`·.·★ Tadhana ★·.·´¯`·.·★
Written by Louis Pelingen Scrolling through Soundcloud, Youtube, and Bandcamp to discover a song that interpolates or adds a twist on a sample underneath always gives you a different kind of feeling. Sometimes it will leave you bewildered that it ends up clicking (or not), sometimes overjoyed with a hint of nostalgia, or sometimes spiraling down to a screech, wondering how adding just the quaintest of beats and vocal takes can bring you to a certain kind of special tug. Pikunin, formerly known as AHJU$$I, flips up Tadhana by Up Dharma Down and puts his own spice into it. A hint of nostalgia slid in – now glazed, full of twinkling sparkles, and a low-key charm – pitching up Tadhana and chopping it down to the chorus and to the signature cooing of Armi Millare as a starter, tugged along with Pikunin’s softer vocal takes (“Please pick up your phone and don’t leave me alone / Cause I can’t be by myself, I don’t want somebody else”). All along while Pikunin drums up a jersey club-style beat with that signature squeak sound that blends well with the rest of the song, and makes the song twinkle more brightly than before. It’s a song that brings up nostalgia, carving up a spin that makes it refreshing, and allows everyone to appreciate the source material even more. Tadhana is already a heartfelt song for anyone reeling from their 2010s nostalgia, and now Pikunin’s quaint yet charming flip of the song does not take away the pathos of the song but rather adds a different kind of tug.
TRACK REVIEW: YiYi and Piel ft. Xeno – Lumang Litrato
For a track like “Lumang Litrato” to micro-trend in a niche part of Twitter, it’s impressive to see how much lore has been built prior to the release of the track. From Yiyi’s ultimate hatred of the city of Dasmarinas to sending letters of a dearly departed loved one ala the intro of Silent Hill 2, there’s so much to unpack with 00s loverap revival alongside the unexpected backstory to YiYi’s sleeper hit. With emphasis on YiYi’s high pitched hook-writing to Piel’s bellowing rapping, it’s giving what Repablikan gave us back in the day, but in the case of YiYi, it doesn’t suffer from novelty either. The track released before it titled “SINTA TELL ME”, YiYi and Piel are serious about building the lore of their relationship alongside the visual aesthetic that comes along with their pastiche of Friendster-era emoticons and YouTube karaoke cues. “Lumang Litrato” took a couple of listens to grasp the gravity of the situation even if its obscured by foggy Baguio-esque aesthetics and digicam shots of YiYi walking across a field all the while longing for their lover to come back from the grave. There’s beats to savor in both tracks and the production is laudable enough to give justice to the lore that both YiYi and Piel are building for themselves. Support the art & the artist: