Ethel Cain – “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” review

Ethel Cain is a 27 year old singer/songwriter, producer & model from Tallahassee, Florida releasing 3 EPs building up towards her widely received full-length studio debut Preacher’s Daughter. Her most recent EP Perverts a week into 2025 already ranks right behind the new Roc Marciano EP The Coldest Profession produced by DJ Premier for the greatest extended plays of the year, continuing her hot streak with a sophomore effort & a couple teasers in the midst of the rollout.

“Janie” gets the ball rolling on the LP with an endearingly profound tribute to her best friend of the same name whereas “Fuck Me Eyes” after the “Willoughby’s Theme” composition sings about Holly Reddick over a combination between synthpop, dream pop, ethereal wave, synthwave & big music. “Nettles” the lead single masterfully blends Americana, singer/songwriter, ambient Americana, slowcore & alt-country feeling a burden of life post-graduation leading into the “Willoughby’s Interlude”.

To start the 2nd half, “Dust Bowl” delves deeper into the ambient Americana vibe feeling like she’s already broken a death pact that she made back in the 8th grade while “A Knock on My Door” gives off a heavier singer/songwriter direction questioning herself for the first time since the current relationship she’s involved in began. “Tempest” after the “Radio Towers” instrumental piece samples “Doe Hunting” for the only moment where we get a look at Willoughby’s perception & “Waco, Texas” references the infamous Branch Davidians siege 3 decades previously.

Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You predates the events of it’s predecessor traveling back almost 4 decades earlier revolving around his & girlfriend’s adolescence, raising the stakes regarding Ethel Cain’s artistic potential both Preacher’s DaughterPerverts began revealing. Slowcore’s most gifted songwriter of the modern era minimizes the dream pop influences of her debut production wise to experiment with ambient music, post-rock, Americana, ambient Americana, synthpop, ethereal wave, synthwave & big music.

Score: 4.5/5

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Amaarae – “Black Star” review

Amaarae is a 30 year old singer/songwriter from The Bronx, New York by way of Accra, Ghana independently releasing her 2017 debut EP Passionfruit Summers followed by the 2020 full-length studio debut The Angel You Don’t Know through her own label Golden Child Entertainment. The latter of which caught Interscope Records’ attention, who signed her for the highly praised sophomore effort Fountain Baby & looks to raise the stakes even higher with the 3rd LP becoming the most personal of them all.

“Stuck Up” opens with a reference to Spike Lee ahead of his upcoming A24 Films neo-noir crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest coming to theaters next weekend whereas the boldly audacious “Starkilla” sings about serving ketamine, cocaine & ecstasy. “ms60” contains one of my favorite instrumentals on the album from WondaGurl responding to those calling her stuff like bitch, villain & a controversial diva while “Kiss Me Thru the Phone 2” featuring PinkPantheress samples “Thong Song” by Sisqó for a homage to Soulja Boy.

As for “B2B”, we have Amaarae singing about bisexuality sampling “Maybe” by Toni Braxton just before “She’s My Drug” heavily interpolates “Believe” by Cher asking if one believes in love when sobered off the drugs. The lead single “Girlie-Pop!” however excitingly blends Jersey club, dance-pop, tamborzão, alté & alternative R&B embodying the feeling of a kiss from your favourite person in the world.

“S.M.O. (Slut Me Out)” combines dance-pop, gqom, Bacardi Burger-Highlife, Detroit techno, electro & hiplife for a cross between Donna Summer & Control era Janet Jackson while “Fineshyt” makes for the 2nd & final track to be produced by BNYX of Working on Dying sings about her bisexual experienced wanting to buying the woman she’s currently in love with whatever kind of clothes she wants on top of the inability of leaving her by herself.

To get the 4th quarter’s clock winding down, “Dove Cameron” calls back to her previous LP singing about people referring to her as “Fountain” & showing off all the money she’s been making while “Dream Scenario” goes alternative R&B desiring for her lover to tell her what they want. “100drum” finds herself confronting the familiar feeling of paranoia brought on by an unnamed adversary & “Free the Youth” ties it all up by singing about not getting too pumped because she’s fucked up.

Familiarizing myself through her collaborations with the likes of KAYTRAMINÉ or Janelle Monáe to Bas & Childish Gambino, the 2nd major label offering in the Amaarae canon playfully embraces her Ghanaian heritage. It’s production leans heavier towards dance-pop & electronic dance music compared to Fountain Baby additionally pulling further inspiration from funk brasileiro, alternative r&b, house, alté, pop rap, African music, Afroswing, gqom, Bacardi Burger-Highlife, Detroit techno, electro, hiplife, Jersey club, tamborzão & alté to confidently explore her identity as an artist & as a woman.

Score: 4.5/5

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Dro Kenji – “The End of Nothing 2” review

Summerville, South Carolina rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Dro Kenji is back for his 3rd EP. Signing to both Internet Money Records & 10K Projects not even 365 days after he began making music, he has since put out 7 full-length studio LPs along with a couple EPs & a mixtape. The End of Nothing earlier this summer marked a return to form after experimenting with rage beats & a sequel’s here 6 weeks later.

“Fade” made for an emo rap intro confessing to his lover that he feels as if his heart’s beating I it of frame & the fear of showing how he feels whereas “Stay Focused” finds himself maintaining his concentration asking if he does too much when he’s off the drugs. “Outlandish” talks about never leaving his romantic interest stranded & wanting her to fall in love while “Plug’s House” poses the question of his authenticity being legit or not.

The End of Nothing 2’s final leg starts with “Joggin’”, where Dro hops over a melancholic guitar with more hi-hats talking about running to the bread. “Hookup 4 Anything” looks to start a catastrophe with his partner & realizes he possibly knows her more strongly than himself prior to “Annoying” getting to the bottom of whether or not he’s aggravating her.

Dro Kenji’s previous EP at the beginning of the summer welcomingly took it back to his emo pop rap/trap roots after experimenting with rage beats on Valentine’s Day, but I came away from The End of Nothing 2 liking it only slightly less than I did the predecessor. He’s topically sticking to his bread & butter which isn’t a criticism, except the production on here compared to the original End of Nothing doesn’t catch my attention similarly.

Score: 3/5

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Timbo – “Perfect Imperfections” review

Timbo is a 26 year old rapper from Louisville, Kentucky notable for being the eldest son of Mobstyle Music founder Bukshot. The latter of whom you may be familiar with either through his solo material or his memberships with groups like The Underground Avengers, The Horde, The Berzerkers, Cabal & Double Dragon spanning in a nearly 3 decade career. Following his dad’s footsteps, none other than MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 has locked in with Timbo for the latter’s official debut EP.

“Silence” opens with a cloudy ratchet instrumental talking about being the type to refrain from wasting his time on some minimal bullshit whereas “Duck Down” throws it back to The Neptunes’ late 90s sound feeling like he’s had enough with all the questions getting thrown towards his direction. The jazzy trap crossover “Ordained” finds himself flexing that no one can fuck with him & the lo-fi “Cool Breeze” advises not to come at him unless it’s purposeful.

It’s a bit different in sound compared to what we’ve gotten out of Mobstyle Music for nearly 3 decades at this point, but Timbo’s inaugural body of work makes an impressive introduction as to who he is both artistically & personally dissecting his Perfect Imperfections over MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7’s expectedly detailed production carrying on his father’s legacy by coming to his own.

Score: 4/5

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Tezzus – “Backrooms” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Tezzus coming off his new Søufside collaborative EP with Percaso only a week ago to put out his 4th solo EP. Introducing himself with his first few EPs Hard2Kill as well as Hellraiser & Everyday’s Halløween, his debut mixtape Tezzus Khrist last holiday season would significantly elevate his profile locally as did the handful of appearances he made on The XA Tape earlier this year. Another weekend later & Backrooms arrives merely hours following its announcement.

“Back” opens with a horn-laced trap instrumental fearing nobody talking because he rules whereas the rage-inducing “Rich Gang” takes a couple minutes to boast his wealth. “50 Cities 50 Nights” featuring Boofinesse works in some 808s to talk about only trusting the money leading into “10th Grade” goes for a hypertrap vibe again calling himself a Guitar Hero the way he rocks stages. “Øh My Gød” featuring diamond* ends the EP with both of them suggesting for others to come to grips with their successes.

Continuing to prepare for his debut album & the sophomore effort done in the styles of R&B & phonk respectively, Tezzus diverts from the Søufside journey that was embarked on merely 7 days ago & releases a 5-pack clocking in at 11 minutes that’s still worth your time even if it it’s a minor step down from Tezzus Khrist. The production here ditches the secondary tread & plugg influences of his debut tape to focus more around trap & rage and the few guests do their job of keeping the same energy.

Score: 3.5/5

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BABYMETAL – “Metal Forth” review | ベビーメタル – 『メタル・フォース』レビュー

BABYMETAL is a Kawaii metal trio from Tokyo, Japan consisting of Su-metal, Moametal & Momometal. Releasing an eponymous debut album together under Toy’s Factory over a decade ago already, the band’s sophomore effort Metal Resistance a couple years later was where I personally became a fan of their music. On the contrary, Metal Galaxy & The Other One were both average in comparison. Signing to Capitol Records this spring, the band’s finally ready to make their major label debut.

ベビーメタルは、スメタル、モアメタル、モモメタルで構成された、東京、日本のカワイイメタルトリオです。すでに10年以上前にトイズ・ファクトリーの下で同名のデビューアルバムをリリースし、数年後のバンドの2枚目の努力「金属抵抗」は、私が個人的に彼らの音楽のファンになった場所です。反対に、「メタル・ギャラクシー」と「ザ・オアザー・ワン」はどちらも比較で平均でした。この春、キャピトルレコードと契約し、 ベビーメタルはついにメジャーレーベルデビューの準備が整いました。

“from me to u” featuring Poppy blends alternative metal, metalcore, electronicore, nu metal, industrial metal & kawaii metal to sing about killing the enemies with the rage inside them whereas the WWE Bash in Berlin official theme song “Ratatata” featuring Electric Callboy fuses electronicore, kawaii metal & Eurodance comparing their bodies to weapons.

「私からあなたへ」にポピーが参加したこの曲は、オルタナティブ・メタル、メタルコア、エレクトロコア、ニュー・メタル、インダストリアル・メタル、そしてカワイイ・メタルを融合させ、敵を内なる怒りで倒すことを歌っています。一方、WWEベルリンでのバッシュの公式テーマソング「ラタタタ」に電気式コールボーイが参加したこの曲は、エレクトロコア、カワイイ・メタル、ユーロダンスを融合させ、彼らの体を武器に例えています。

Slaughter to Prevail joins BABYMETAL for the disappointingly mediocre kawaii metal/metalcore crossover “Song 3” trying to make their version of “Revolution 9” by The Beatles just before “Kon! Kon!” featuring Bloodywood embraces a heavier nu metal vibe with additional elements of kawaii metal, rap metal & Bhangra in what both parties have called “creature metal”.

スローター・トゥ・プリヴェイルは、ベビーメタルと共に、失望的なほど平凡な「カワイイ・メタル/メタルコア」のクロスオーバー曲「歌3」に参加し、ビートルズの「革命9」のバージョンを制作しようとしています。その後、「コン!コン!」では、ブラッディウッドがより重いニューメタルの雰囲気を採用し、カワイイ・メタル、ラップ・メタル、バンガラの要素を組み合わせた「クリーチャー・メタル」と両者が呼ぶスタイルを追求しています。

KxAxWxAxIxI concludes the first half of “Metal Force” by embracing the kawaii metal style they have come to recognize and standing at the top of the subgenre hierarchy, while the gradually cute “Sunset Kiss” featuring Polyphia reflects on the lovers’ relationship coming to an end, as it melts into the red sky of dawn , depicting the sun setting and the faded face still burning.

KxAxWxAxIxI 「は、彼らが認知するようになったカワイイ・メタル・スタイルを取り入れ、サブジャンルのヒエラルキーの頂点に立つことで、『メタルフォース』の前半を締めくくる。一方、ポリフィアをフィーチャーした徐々にカワイくなる 」サンセット・キス “は、恋人たちの関係が終わりを迎えることに思いを馳せ、夜明けの赤い空に溶けていくように、太陽が沈み、色あせた顔がまだ燃えている様子を描写している。

Spiritbox & BABYMETAL team up for the kawaii metal, alt-metal, metalcore & djent hybrid “My Queen” asking to be freed from some sort of pain while “Algorism” sings about the past & the future not going away because love’s a process within itself. “METAL!!” experiments with alternative metal, groove metal & Japanese folk music for an energetically playful single to dance to while “White Flame” climactically finishes the melodic speed metal series on a powerfully emotional note.

スピリットボックスとベビーメタルは、カワイイメタル、アルトメタル、メタルコア、ジェントのハイブリッド 「マイ・クイーン 」でタッグを組み、ある種の痛みから解放されることを願い、「アルゴリズム 」では、愛はそれ自体がプロセスであるため、過去と未来はなくならないことを歌っている。「メタり!!」は、オルタナティヴ・メタル、グルーヴ・メタル、日本のフォーク・ミュージックを実験的に取り入れた、エネルギッシュで遊び心のあるシングルで、「白い炎」は、メロディック・スピード・メタル・シリーズのクライマックスを力強くエモーショナルに締めくくる。

Metal Forth embodies BABYMETAL’s artistic growth by pushing boundaries & collaborating with artists they’ve connected with from around the world, landing behind Metal Resistance for their most essential full-length. Kobametal’s production is more bolder than the band’s earlier output going beyond kawaii metal to further explore the styles alternative metal, electronicore, industrial metal, power metal, j-pop, metalcore, deathcore, djent, nu metal, groove metal, Eurodance, rap metal, Bhangra & Japanese folk music.

メタル・フォースは、境界線を押し広げ、世界中のアーティストとコラボレートすることで、ベビーメタルが芸術的に成長したことを体現している。コバメタルのプロダクションは、カワイイメタルの枠を超え、オルタナティヴ・メタル、エレクトロニコア、インダストリアル・メタル、パワー・メタル、Jポップ、メタルコア、デスコア、ジェント、ニュー・メタル、グルーヴ・メタル、ユーロダンス、ラップ・メタル、バングラ、日本の民俗音楽などのスタイルをさらに探求している。

Score: 3.5/5

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Dropout Kings – “Yokai” review

Phoenix, Arizona trap metal outfit the Dropout Kings consisting of vocalists Adam Ramey & Eddie Wellz, guitarist Rob Sebastian & drummer Jeremy Garcia releasing their 3rd studio LP. Making theirbdwbur in 2018 off their full-length debut AudioDope & gaining more momentum a couple years later with their debut EP GlitchGang, they signed to Suburban Noize Records for their divisive sophomore effort Riot Music even if I personally have it as my favorite in their discography. Adam tragically took his own life this spring & the Kings are dedicating Yokai to his memory.

“Black Sheep” starts the album with a rap metal/nu metal throwback talking about being out of their minds whereas “Brace Yourself” advises to prepare for what they’ve done to break themselves embracing both styles of the intro once again. “Baka” gets back to the band’s trap metal roots promising to live & die by honor as well as referencing my favorite WR of all-time Randy Moss, but then “F.T.W. (Fuck the World)” lividly gives a middle finger to everyone around them.

The rap metal vibes return for “Devil Fruit” observing the game for being as cutthroat as it is just before “First Day Out” starts the 2nd half of Yokai with the most melodic moment on the entire project singing about life going south & things looking brighter these days. “Guillotine” blends rap metal & alternative metal together so they can speak of finding their own ways around the darkness while “Fake It” asks if their names will be said or disappeared if they happened to fade away.

Meanwhile on the title track, we have the Dropout Kings going in an industrial hip hop direction instrumentally talking about bringing knifes to gun fights & becoming smartasses when they get too high prior to the rap rock-tinged “Eye Bleach” suggesting that they should be treating all these other bands in their lane like they’re children advising to hang it up already. The closer “Deadname” ends the sextet’s Napalm debut with a metalcore/rap metal hybrid wanting to be buried as their former forenames.

Getting to see the Dropout Kings live during both the Gathering of the Juggalos & Fright Fest in the late summer/early fall of 2021, what could most likely be Adam Ramey’s final recordings ever celebrates everything he stood for marks a bittersweet end of an era in the group’s story. The indomitable will, ambition, struggle & pain that’ve shaped these guys into what they are today get vouched for adapting to trap metal’s evolution during a time of their greatest loss.

Score: 4/5

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Young Nudy – “Paradise” review

Here is the 4th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper Young Nudy. Although he & 21 Savage are cousins, he eventually carved a lane of his own in the last decade with 10 mixtapes (the most notable ones being the Pi’erre Bourne-produced Sli’merre & it’s sequel) followed by his previous 3 full-lengths. I heard at some point last fall when Sli’merre 2 came out that Nudy had an album fully produced by Metro Boomin’ coming down the pipe but regardless when or if that happens, he’s taking us on a trip to Paradise.

“17” made for a cloudy intro produced by Kid Hazel talking about his young shooter layin’ bodies out whereas “What’s Happenin’?” featuring Latto finds the 2 pairing up over a Coupe instrumental so they can stay turnt in the club. “Pull Up” works in some strings & hi-hats for a homage to “Throw Some D’s” by Rich Boyleading into the Atlanta bass strip club heater “B.T.A. (Bounce That Ass)”.

The title track finds himself in the middle of a block party getting back on the trap vibes with some horns added to the equation just before “GOAT” bombastically talks about not wanting smoke with him at all. “Big Bad Wolf” featuring BabyDrill has a quirkier drill sound to it likening themselves to a pack of wolves while “Super Slime” talks about a woman falling in love with him because he ain’t no scrub.

21 Savage joins his cousin to make the Memphis rap banger “Iced Tea” basically saying you don’t get to eat if you don’t hustle while “Sugar” combines these pianos & hi-hats likening himself to Tony Montana of Scarface. “Mop Stick” has an eerier trap flare to it expressing is dislike for people cappin’ in their raps while “Snake” talks about the needing to clean up the streets & watch out for any rats.

“Chains On” nears Paradise’s final minutes to show off the ice around his neck over a trap beat with some vibraphones not having to flex shit because the girl he’s currently seeing is already well aware of him making money while “4 God” properly ties up our journey in Nudy’s Paradisewith some 808s & ominous synthesizers promising to put anyone who goes against him on a white tee shirt only driving fast.

Young Nudy & Coupe have crossed paths with one another countless times in the past already, using half of Anyways… or a great deal of both DR. EV4L & Gumbo as examples. Point is: The unique chemistry they’ve always had together still makes for a fun listening experience whether it be the trap, cloud rap, Memphis rap, pop rap, dirty south & rage production or Nudy’s explicitly gangsta approach to his songwriting.

Score: 3.5/5

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Champtown – “Rocker at Heart” review

Champtown is a 52 year old MC, producer, DJ, film director & teacher from Detroit, Michigan known for his involvement in establishing a myriad of the city’s hip hop artists from Kid Rockto the Insane Clown Posse & even Eminem. His first couple EPs Call Me Joker & Check It! in the early/mid 90s would prelude his 1999 debut Now or Never N***a!, returning in 2016 for the sophomore effort Racial Profilin’ & almost another decade to release his 3rd EP executive produced by Body Count frontman Ice-T.

The title track is a rap rock intro with a hook reminiscent of old school hard rock talking about politics being wack as fuck to him & I have to agree with him as someone who enjoyed the South Park season 27 premiere couple weeks earlier whereas “Burn” carries over the rap rock vibes for an interpolation of “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps, which I prefer far more than the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion as well as the 2-time WCW World Television Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion of the same name.

“Hasbulla” aggressively references the Russian social media personality who signed a 5-year promotion contract with the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division UFC merely 12 months prior to them buying the WWE for $9.3B just before “We Dranking” moves forward with a rap rock song about consuming alcohol. “Jumpin’ for Eddie V” pays homage to the late Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen while “My Matrix” feels like an attempt at a throwback to 80s pop rock/synth-wave era.

Excluding the essential “What Color is Soul?” featuring Chaos Kid & Eminem taken from Now or Never N***a! reappearing to make it’s DSP debut, “W.A.G.D. (We All Gonna Die)” featuring Unko Jozee sends off the EP officially with a 6 minute outro remixing a rap rock with boom bap & trap talking about the color of one’s skin doesn’t matter because we’ll all meet our demise eventually with nothing to save you from it happening.

Only less than 10 days away from his performance at the 25th annual Gathering of the Juggalos or the Gathering of Legends, the Straight Jacket Records founder Champtown leans heavier towards a rap rock sound on Rocker at Heart compared to his previous material taking notes from The Rolling Stones of hip hop Public Enemy led by his mentor Chuck D to put his versatility front & center almost 4 decades in the game.

Score: 3.5/5

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Yeat – “Dangerous Summer” review

Portland, Oregon rapper Yeat elusively announcing his 7th EP earlier this week & it’s finally here. Emerging in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips, he’s been dominating the mainstream since 2021 whether it be him dropping several projects or receiving cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. He eventually signed to Geffen Records, who backed his sophomore effort albeit major label debut 2 Alivë & it’s companionable deluxe EP Gëek Pack shortly after. Coming off his 5th mixtape Lyfë a few summers ago alongside Aftërlyfe & the experimental Capitol Records debut 2093, he went back to his roots to rep the Lyfëstyle & has returned 10 months later for a Dangerous Summer.

“Put It Ong” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying hops over a vocal sample with some synthesizers & hi-hats flexing that he can make $1M in a week tops whereas “Loco” travels towards a rage-inducing direction thanks to Synthetic of Internet Money Records admitting that the money got him going insane. “Loose Leaf” finds himself talking about a woman who loves percs & pearls leading into “Oh I Did” featuring NGeeYL finds the pair refusing to even waste a minute.

Meanwhile on “Comë n Go”, we have Yeat over some quirky synths to tell a bitch to come out & show him exactly how thankful she is that he showed her his Lyfestylë just before “[ADL IS COMING]” preludes the man’s upcoming 6th LP A Dangerous Lyfë. “I’m Yeat” was a fun west coast trap/rage single talking about the kind of guy he is while “M.F.U. (Middle Fingers Up)” featuring SahBabii finds the pair breaking down the way they live until the end.

“2Tone” featuring Don Toliver starts the last leg of Dangerous Summer going back-&-forth with one another over a futuristic beat thanking God for the times they used to pray for coming to fruition while “Fly Nitë” featuring FKA twigs serves as a duet wanting to proven why they shouldn’t leave each others’ sides tonight. Last but not least, “Growing Pains” finishes up the EP by talking about feeling as if he’s going insane.

Whether we get A Dangerous Lyfë by the end of 2025 or at some point the following year, Yeat reunites with BNYX for a 34 minute precursor that’s less 1-dimensional regarding the production & bringing a menacing demeanor with only less than a couple months until fall begins. In terms of consistency from the guests, the last 2 features at the backend of it suit the vibes the Lyfestyle Corporation founder was going for.

Score: 4/5

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