Dom McLennon is a 31 year old MC/producer from Hartford, Connecticut notable for being a founding member of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective as well as the older brother of it’s former de facto leader Kevin Abstract. He also has 3 mixtapes alongside a couple EPs & a few instrumental projects under his belt on top of that but coming off Prologue last month, Dom’s following up Matt Champion’s solo debut Mika’s Laundry from last weekend by putting out his 3rd EP.
“First Offering” is a guitar-laced opener looking to build a coalition while everyone else is trying to build companies whereas the cloudy “Sculptor’s Request” vibe talks about being the only real one in a bunch of fake situations & that’s the reason why he’s lost a lot of patience. “Amongst Swords” slows down his vocals a bit over a peaceful instrumental flexing that he’s in everybody’s ears more than the warranty extensions leading into the drumless “Generations” talking about making hundreds off stackin’ dimes.
To start the 2nd half, the catchy “River” explores identity through a conversation about growth & peace providing words to guide you through your travels just before the piano ballad “Gym Hours” is a profound letter to himself. “Russian Cream” gives me a boom bap vibe rappin’ like the muthafuckin’ rent’s due, but then the trippy “4theblock” finishes the EP by getting out of bed with Satan himself.
Of all the solo projects that I’ve heard from Dom ever since getting into BROCKHAMPTON, I actually came away from The Changing of the Trees liking it more than his last couple EPs Prologue & Roadtrip. I’m sure that he’ll continue to progressively improve on the jazzy production here along with the consciously abstract style of lyricism he goes for on here, which I think will catch some people who’re familiar with his BROCKHAMPTON material off-guard.
Score: 3.5/5
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