Tha God Fahim – “Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 9” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee/producer Tha God Fahim returning after a week to drop his 56th EP. Starting as an affiliate of Griselda Records as well as being 1/3 of the Dump Gawds alongside Mach-Hommy & Your Old Droog, we also can’t ignore the massive discography that he’s managed to build for himself, some of the standouts include Breaking Through tha Van Allen Belts & Dump Assassins. He’s been putting out amongst his best material in the past few years like the Camoflauge Monk-produced Dark Shogunn Assassin, the Nature Sounds-backed Iron Bull, the Nicholas Craven-produced Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King series, the Oh No-produced Berserko, Dump Gawd: Rhyme Pays produced by Mike Shabb, Tha Supreme Hoarder of All Pristine Wealth. Supreme Dump Legend: Soul Cook Saga produced by Cookin’ Soul & Machine Gun Vocabulary produced by Cartune Beatz. A Dumpathon began exactly 2 weeks ago Thursday & the Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga lives on with its 9th entry.

“Fuckin’ Mics Up” breaks the doors down with this boom bap intro referring to his rapping abilities as a different form of telepathic communication whereas “Tha Bane of Unrighteousness” works in a video game sample to talk about everyone knowing he’s the nicest & having a piece of mind being priceless. “Tha Extortion of Gauntlet” promises to make tragic endings become the start of a new age while “True Champ” soulfully talks about making people catch bullets as if it’s the NFL.

The song “Gold Panning” hooks up these prominent piano chords making it clear to everybody what kind of timing he’s been on & comparing this rap shit to diamond mining just before the jazzy “Unlimited Dump” sees him carrying more glocks on him than RoboCop as well as being in the midst of a paper chase. “Hado” finishes up the EP with a horn flip holding weapons in his luggage so he can solve conflict with an iron fist.

Exactly a whole week since Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 8 came out, Fahim’s 6th EP in couple weeks & the 11th project he’s done with Nicholas Craven since October continues the monumental run they’ve been on for 5 months already. The latter’s production bounces between boom bap, chipmunk soul & jazz rap noticeably lacking the drumless undertones of the last 2 installments dumpin’ lyrical pressure for 16 & a half minutes.

Score: 4.5/5

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Autumn! – “Back 2 My Roots!” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Lafayette, Louisiana rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Autumn!. Gaining traction off all 22 of his previous EPs & a full-length debut on SoundCloud since 2018 prior to signing to Victor Victor Worldwide & Republic Records following the Not Much Left EP, he made his major label debut nearly 3 years ago with his sophomore effort Antagonist! as well as following it up with the last 2 installments of the Golden Child trilogy & Midnight Club. Wick delivered a sequel to Solitary last spring, You Never Was Mine in the summer & ##B4B2MR in the winter. To end the 1st quarter of 2025, it’s time for him to go Back 2 My Roots.

“Replica!” sets the tone of what’s to come excellently with the self-produced plugg instrumental talking about the only thing he copies is Margiela whereas “Brainrot!” named after a term I feel like out-of-touch people use to call dank memes rocks Balmain showing respect to the late Lil Keed. “Passenger Princess!” keeps the plugg vibes going for a love song about his glock leading into “Sunburn!” sampling “Plastic 100°C” by Sampha & shouting out Summrs only having Burberry material on his end.

As for both “Something New!” & “Laws of Power!”, we have Autumn! taking a couple ##B4B2MR highlights & placing them on the final version of the album just before “Upper Echelon!” maintains the plugg sound talking about seeing the limelight. “Louie V Everything!” featuring Summrs on the remix expresses their love for Louis Vuitton referencing the Rockstar Games-owned Grand Theft Auto V protagonist Trevor Philips, but then “1 Way 2!” throws it back to the Antagonist! sequel aesthetically.

“Still the Same 3!” continues a trilogy that began with his breakout single stuck in a place he wants to forget while “Both Ways!” talks about his hoes being bisexual. “Did It Again!” a lot like “Something New!” & “Laws of Power!” reappears after being on ##B4B2MR while “Count It Faster!” talks about stacking his racks up. “Free Promo!” flexes his brother moving in slow-mo because of the lean while “Stuck in a Loop!” admits to the way he feels at times. “When I Pray” finishes Back 2 My Roots waking up with money on his mind.

##B4B2MR promisingly had many including myself thinking that Back 2 My Roots would be a return to form for him considering the mixed reception of You Never Was Mine almost 9 months ago & I personally would tell you that it’s the most I’ve enjoyed his music since Golden Child 3! exactly 3 years to the day it dropped. It’s primarily self-produced other than a couple tracks delving back into the plugg sound that made him blow up & he’s more focused than some of his recent output.

Score: 4/5

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9 Vicious – “Tumblr Music” review

This is the sophomore effort & YSL Records debut from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer 9 Vicious. Breaking out last summer off his debut single “U Fancy”, he would go on to further introduce himself on B4SA & the debut album Studio Addict helped him gain more exposure to the point where Young Thug signed him to YSL after B4TM dropped. Couple months later, he’s joining 1300SAINT as 1 of the 2 newest signees for the label by putting out Tumblr Music ahead of the latter 1300’s upcoming project albeit his 2nd under the YSL banner Saint Season next month on the 25th.

The way “Why Can’t There Be Love?” by Dee Edwards gets sampled by 406ahmad on “Margiela Steppin’” talking about playing this shit like it’s a 2K game whereas “Makaveli” goes for more of an eerie trap direction instrumentally thanks to Patrick Garza further homaging 2Pac like he did with the album cover. “Clout Demons” easily sticks out as the worst track with the “I know I fucked up, I admit I was horny” line appallingly admitting that he slept with a minor prior to “SP5DER” representing his uncle’s clothing brand to the fullest.

“Twitter & Instagram” named after the social media apps owned by Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder & Nazi Elon Musk and Facebook founder & Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg respectively cloudily boasts with Jwade to get on some new shit daily just before “Anti You” talks about growing up without guidance. “Mad Rappers” finds him pissing off his competition leading into “Hit ‘Em Up” clearly giving more flowers to Pac.

Starting the final leg of Tumblr Music, the song “Beastmode” turns up the bass so he can break down the way he livin’ on Cleveland Avenue while “Again” promotes his set at Lyrical Lemonade’s upcoming 7th annual Summer Smash festival. The self-produced “Take Me Down” has possibly my favorite beat on the whole LP thinking about the craziness that he’s experienced in his life so far.

No denying from me that Studio Addict & B4TM both have their highlights like “The Truth” or “R.I.P Keed”, but I’d argue that Tumblr Music falls behind All Hail as a decent example of YSL bringing exciting new artists onto their roster now that Thug finally came home last Halloween. It’s the best he’s sounded production-wise & he holds it down by himself like he did 3 months ago other than some questionable lines occasionally coming up.

Score: 3/5

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Termanology – “Things I Seen” review

Lawrence, Massachusetts emcee/producer Termanology linking up with Detroit, Michigan producer Bronze Nazareth for his 13th studio LP. The leader of the ST. da Squad collective, he would also form the duos G.O.Y.A. (Gunz Or Yay Available) with Shortfyuz as well as 1982 with Statik Selektah or Fizzyology with Lil’ Fame & more recently Teknology with Tek. You also have a dozen albums of his that he’s released by himself, with standouts including the sophomore effort Politics as Usual or Bad Decisions & the Dame Grease-produced Set in Stone to name a few. 3 months after Teknology’s eponymous debut, Term’s putting the Things I Seen on wax.

After the “Hex Murda” intro, the title track begins with this soulful boom bap beat talking about simply wanting to live whereas “Make It Flood”keeps it rugged instrumentally talking about being as smooth of an operator as he already is. “Beast Mode” gets back on the chipmunk soul vibe boasting his lyrical abilities just before “Fargo” featuring Wais P finds the 2 making too much money to be living in sorrow.

“Sometimes You Go” featuring Jon Connor sees the both of them talking about not living lavish & their passion being wherever they pass it while “History Lesson” also featuring Jon Connor goes back-to-back discussing God giving them the ability & that not being so much of a mystery. The “Do You Remember?” interlude should’ve been meshed with the actual song featuring SuperSTah Snuk since they tie-in well with each other chopping up the soul samples again so they can get reminiscent.

Marv Won joins Termanology on “Alotta Prose (I Know)” maintaining a soulful edge to the beat so both of them can brush off any small talk that comes their way since neither of them have any time for that shit & prior to the outro, the final song “Henny Cancer” featuring Bronze Nazareth himself & Salute da Kidd wraps officially concludes Things I Seen by getting the trio together for a hardcore hip hop barfest without a hook chasing a legacy.

Things I Seen bounces back from the mixed reception of Term’s last couple solo efforts representing the perfect intersection of two legendary forces in the underground scene bringing each of both parties’ unique flavor to the table to make an experience that transcends mere music by going on this audible journey through life, struggle & triumph. Bronze Nazareth’s unparalleled production & poetic lyricism joining forces with the ST. da Squad leader’s razor-sharp rhymes & magnetic presence results in an unrelenting dedication to their craft.

Score: 4.5/5

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Boldy James – “Hommage” review

Detroit veteran Boldy James enlisting local trap producer Antt Beatz for his 13th studio LP. Breaking out in the fall of 2013 off his Alchemist produced debut M.1.C.S. (My 1st Chemistry Set), the Detroit lyricist would later go on to land a contract with Nas’ independent label Mass Appeal Records for a little while before getting locked up. Once coming home, Uncle Al would help get his name back out there once getting out by dropping the Boldface EP around Christmas 2019 & then the sophomore album The Price of Tea in China. This was followed up with the Sterling Toles-produced Manger on McNichols which was as equally fantastic, but the Griselda Records-backed Versace Tape EP was a tad bit disappointing given how rushed it was. Bo Jackson though would become his most critically acclaimed work to date & Super Tecmo Bo was almost as great for an EP. Fair Exchange No Robbery produced by Nicholas Craven, Penalty of Leadership, Mr. 10-08 produced by Futurewave, the Conductor Williams-produced Across the Tracks, the Harry Fraud-produced The Bricktionary & the Carlo Anthony-produced Hidden in Plain Sight were all welcomed to warm reception additionally. Token of Appreciation produced by Chuck Strangers was much better than both Murder During Drug Traffic & Permanent Ink, hoping Hommage would do the same with Alphabet Highway produced by V Don dropping next weekend.

“Back on Top” hooks up a Detroit trap instrumental begging to differ regarding people telling him they be making money now whereas “Off the Richter” featuring Baby Money finds the pair talking about it best to keep things pushing since your life can be taken in an instant. “Brick James” gives off an atmospheric Detroit trap vibe delving into the gangsta lifestyle he lives leading into “Tetris” co-produced by Helluva showing a boastful side to him.

Moving on from there, “Concrete Connie” takes a pint of red & paints the entire town hall just before “Met Me” featuring BandGang Lonnie Bands talks about being evil genius gangsta intellectuals. “Super Mario” offers to show y’all how to turn a pitbull into a bouvier while “Himothy Mcveigh” gives off a soulful Detroit trap vibe talking about being unable to stand these boujee ass dudes.

“Street Cred” continues to push further towards the final moments of Hommage going behind the scenes with the clip & warning him not to roll the credits while “Talk Nice” puts a west coast spin Detroit trap recalling losing sight once as a pup in the middle of a full-blown dog fight. “Dead Flowers” wraps things up making it rain on your head & calling that a head shower, only to leave ‘em dead in the middle of a field.

Arguably the hardest working artist in Detroit balancing quantity & quality gets everyone prepared for Alphabet Highway by linking up with Antt Beatz for a Detroit trap album ending the 1st quarter of 2025 that I enjoy almost as much as Token of Appreciation from last month. Antt’s production is on par with Carlo Anthony’s roughly 3 months ago, both features come correct & Boldy shuts down those complaining of him venturing out to trap with his lyrics.

Score: 4/5

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Lørd Skø – “PiFF” review

New York up-&-comer Lørd Skø signing to Fat Beats Records for his 3rd studio LP. Getting his start in the fall of 2020 off his debut EP 13th Angel, his profile would grow from there eventually hiring one of the greatest A&Rs in the industry Dante Ross as his manager & showing the world of what he’s capable of doing last summer when he put out his debut Museum. His sophomore effort United Palace was a great dedication to his neighborhood, returning a year & a half later to drop PiFF.

“Livin’ Life” is this jazzy intro talking about living right these days whereas “2nd Thought” produced by Statik Selektah proves to be a highlight as he shows off an aura that can’t be confused with anyone else. “Stubborn” works on this high-pitched gospel sample getting reckless in the middle of his block rockin’ 2 boots while “Bong Rips” featuring MAVI along with Harry Fraud behind the boards making reference to the current TNA World Tag Team Champion in his 3rd reign & inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy of The Hardy Boyz.

Curren$y joins Skø on the single “Understand” suggesting that even the haters gotta love it & turning their plugs into fans of their music just before “Girbaud Talk” featuring Grand Puba brings back the jazz thanks to Mike Shabb talking about checking the wave & sliding. “Robinhood” takes a more cloudier route with the beat likening himself to a vigilante, but then the lo-fi boom bap “Cigarette Butts” smacks the makeup off these clowns making them do 10s.

“Camel Eyes” featuring Conway the Machine psychedelically talks about both of their standards being high & being where they are now by staying on course prior to Feardorian bringing a woozy trap flare to the table on “Holding Me Up” featuring Polo Perks airing everyone moving wack. “Problem Child” soulfully telling his homies to stay safe moving dangerously & after a “Funkee Intermission”, he puts smoke in his “Lungz” like he always does daily.

The song “Not the Same” hits the backend of PiFF working in a crooning sample referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 3-time WWE Champion, 11-time WWE tag team champion, the inaugural WWE Hardcore Champion, CWA World Tag Team Champion & TNA World Champion Mick Foley merely 19 years to the day he gave former 2-time AEW TNT Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 11-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion & 15-time WWE tag team champion Adam Copeland married to WWE Hall of Famer & 4-time WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix his best singles match.

“Randy Moss” closes it out comparing himself to the Pro Football Hall of Famer & my personal favorite WR of all-time temporarily playing with the New England Patriots at a point in time where his career was winding down, who was recently battling cancer this past winter & is now fortunately cancer free while the vinyl exclusive bonus track “Lesson Learned” reunites with Statik Selektah once again asking it all for the wrong reasons.

For his Fat Beats debut, Lørd Skø makes an example of cross-generational worldbuilding at its best with PiFF by referencing classic New York City hip hop while embracing today’s NYC sound much like he did on United Palace a year & a half ago. Inspired by the stoner wing of the Blog Era during his pre-teen years, he’s created a wide-reaching stoner-friendly future classic showcasing his evolution as an artist in full.

Score: 4.5/5

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Will Smith – “Based on a True Story” review

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania actor, rapper & film producer Will Smith returning after 2 decades to put out his 5th studio LP. Breaking out as 1/2 of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, the duo put out 5 albums until disbanding as a result of Will’s acting career taking off. He made his solo debut in the summer of 1997 signing to Columbia Records for Big Willie Style, which was followed by Willenium & later Born to Reign fulfilling his contract. Big Willie went over to Interscope Records for Lost & Found celebrating it’s 20-year anniversary this weekend, focusing on acting up until Based on a True Story.

“Barbershop Day” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince reunites the duo to start us off talking about people cancelling him for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars because of what he said regarding his wife Jada Pinkett Smith whereas “You Lookin’ for Me?” talks about not being so hard to find. After the “Rave Sermon” interlude, “Rave in the Wasteland” goes for more of a Christian hip hop vibe tackling themes of religion leading into “Bulletproof” talking about dancing in Hell & high waters.

Meanwhile on “Hard Times (Smile)”, we have The Fresh Prince talking about smiling through the pain one might be going through in their lives at the moment leading into the decent pop rap single “Beautiful Scars” featuring Big Sean addressing religious subject matter again. “Tantrum” featuring Joyner Lucas gives a glimpse of what’s to come from their upcoming collab effort even if it’s not that satisfying & “1st Love” was a decent Valentine’s Day cut with some Latin influences.

“Make It Look Easy” boasts that he’s the artist that they call for when they hard to mess up & after the “YCMI Sermon” interlude, “You Can Make It” produced by FNZ pulls from the Christian hip hop scene once again telling people to hold on & assuring them they’ll make it in the end. Ahead of the “WOA Sermon” outro, the final song “Work of Art” featuring his son Jaden on the hook & a verse from Russ was one of the worst singles of last year since it feels like the musical equivalent of having your parents telling you the music you listen to is trash.

Can’t say it’s one of the worst things that I’ve heard all year but almost 20 years to the day since Lost & Found, the Philly icon returns to his pop rap roots although it feels as mediocre as the Interscope-backed predecessor and even his final Columbia offering Born to Reign. I will say it’s cool to hear him adapting to the modern trap sounds & even trying to put together a Christian hip hop concept, although I can’t say the same for some of the production & the features.

Score: 2/5

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ΠΔV – “On My Way 2 Rexdale” review

This is the 5th full-length album from Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper, singer/songwriter & producer ΠΔV. Breaking out in 2016 after signing to The Weeknd’s very own Republic Records imprint X♥O Records & his verse/production on “beibs in the trap” off of Travis Scott’s sophomore effort Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, I think that it’s been made pretty clear that I personally haven’t been the biggest fan of ΠΔV’s music up to this point. Primarily because of his robotic delivery, insipid lyrics & generic production choices (especially on Reckless & Bad Habits). However I did find the Wheezy-produced Emergency Tsunami to be ΠΔV’s best work to date, albeit not by much. Demons Protected by Angels wasn’t really much better & the singles building up On My Way 2 Rexdale made me want to give it a chance.

“Sinking” finds him opening up about his loneliness & inner emotions over a drumless guitar instrumental that he make himself whereas “You” feels more of a Don Toliver cut since ΠΔV has little to no presence on it whatsoever. “Stay Up” co-produced by Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic talks about being awake when no one else is while “Burbs” reunites with Wheezy behind the boards talking about making it out the hood.

Playboi Carti joins ΠΔV on “Unlimited” so both of them can rock out together for 3 & a half minutes just before “Back 2 Business” talks about having a lot of problems he deals with as it is getting back in his bag after 2 & a half years. “U.N.I.” goes for a sample-heavy trap direction showing a romantic side to him leading into “1 of None” asking a shawty if she’d be willing to hide out with him.

“Nxxd You” admits to his love that he gets excited around her for no reason comparing her presence to taking ecstasy while “Real Me” takes a cloudier route thanks to Metro Boomin’ showing his romantic interest his genuine self. “Red” brings a moody trap beat to the table drowning in his double cup only seeing the aptly mentioned color, but then “Keep Going” gives a finger to the money & fame continuing his music career in spite of doubters.

The song “Get 2 U” has interestingly chilled out trap flare instrumentally that really caught my attention right out the gate talking about the drugs runnin’ through his body & the closer “Pain Away” asks for his partner to relieve him of all pain he’s been feeling. “Get U Back” starts the deluxe run with a moody 2-parter wanting this woman back in his life while “1 Fan” talks about a hoe who says she dated ΠΔV & he begs to differ since he ain’t ever claimed her to begin with.

“Globe” switches it up by showing a plugg influence talking about being known all around the world while the woozy “Potholes” finds him actively dodging thots in the streets. “Lift Service” tells a chick to back it up & drop it low for him telling her he loves it when she shakes 1 leg while the extended version of the single “Rexdale” sincerely talks about staying strong & powering through during difficult times.

Was surprised regarding the original version of “Rari” called “Now It’s Over” seeing the light of day officially looking back on when he was broke & those days being done with while “Bag” from the Brown Boy 2 mixtape reappears for whatever reason. Lil Uzi Vert pops up for the remix of “Habits” off ΠΔV’s sophomore effort Bad Habits that I enjoy more than the original while the “Go to Hell” intro off his debut EP Brown Boy sampling “Enormous” by Gucci Mane gives his homie some Bathing Ape to celebrate his prison release.

“Highway” originally recorded in late 2016-early 2017 speaks of the lavish lifestyle he’s been living for the past decade living every day as if it’s gonna be his last while “She Worth It” featuring co-production from London on da Track talks about the woman he currently has on his mind. “Paranoid” cavernously tackles the problems brought about by his new-found fame while “Fast Life” questions loyalties whilst flexing his new-found wealth & success over a vocal sample & hi-hats. The final bonus track “Take a Seat” thanks God for him being wealthy now & suggesting to hop in the foreign whip pulled up driving in.

If you told me the same guy who made some of the worst trap albums of 2010s like Reckless & Bad Habits would make his best full-length nearly 5 years after the most consistent mixtape in his discography, I don’t think I would’ve believed you. He’s always been an enjoyable producer & to hear him primarily self-producing his music again is what he needed, taking it back to his origins by returning to his Toronto home town.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bria Salmena – “Big Dog” review

Toronto, Ontario, Canada singer/songwriter Bria Salmena signing to Sub Pop Records for her official solo debut. Coming up as the guitarist/percussionist & co-vocalist for Dear Sister, they would put out 2 full-lengths until their disbandment & she would go on to become the frontwoman of FRIGS as well as forming the country duo Bria with FRIGS guitarist Duncan Jennings putting out a couple mediocre EPs full of covers. Looking to differentiate herself from her side projects, Sub Pop’s bringing her onto the label roster to cement her Big Dog status.

Drastic” begins with this pop rock intro finding herself at an impasse staring at the runway instead of getting on the plane whereas “Backs of Birds” focuses more on embracing the people in her life who lift her up. “Closer to You” takes a shot at post-punk telling her to either love her gently or leave prior to “Hammer” singing about leaving all her fears to be afraid & resilience in general.

As for “Radisson”, we have Bria exploring the raw energy of anger & the ability it has to transform just before “Twilight” goes for more of a stripped-back vibe kin to traditional country music tackling naivety & surrender. “On the Line” details her living her life taking risks for this specific person she has in mind, but then “Stretch the Struggle” assures you’ll never see her crying.

“Rags” tackles transgressive rage & the catharsis that is possible when it’s given permission to move freely through the body while “See’er” featuring former Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo brings the acoustics back expressing a yearning for being seen. “Peanut” nears the end of her solo debut asking what kind of fool she is & the closer “Water Memory” recalls what it was like for her spending Christmas alone during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in mandatory travel quarantine.

Chronicling a story of transformation, Big Dog becomes this deeply personal exploration of resilience & a declaration of artistic independence forged through collaboration. It takes elements of hypnotic krautrock & shimmery shoegaze, opulent goth, & pulsing darkwave with a smearing of electronic textures for a sophisticated & often uncanny sound placing her potent lyrical imagery in the dead center of it all.

Score: 4/5

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Maya Delilah – “The Long Way Round” review

Maya Delilah is a 24 year old R&B singer/songwriter from London, England, United Kingdom who introduced herself in the summer of 2020 with her debut EP Oh Boy & later It’s Not Me, It’s You the next fall. Both of which were welcomed to mixed reception, signing a joint deal with Blue Note Records & Capitol Records roughly 12 months later. 2 & a half years have passed since & she’s ready to take herself to new heights on her debut album.

“Begin Again” minimally begins her Blue Note debut hoping nothing changes whenever she rewinds to a certain point in her life whereas “Look At the State of Me Now” hooks up some mellow ass guitar work singing about everyone taking a look at how she’s doing currently. “Man of the House” experiments with country-pop reveling in the domestic potential of new love prior to “Maya, Maya, Maya” delving further down the introspection topically.

Meanwhile on “Jeffrey”, we have Maya taking a backseat vocally making way for an acoustic guitar & some organs to prominently take over the spotlight just before “Squeeze” brings a funkier vibe to the table telling her lover to never let her go. “Actress” samples the late Curtis Mayfield singing that she’s on the verge of losing control & getting lost, but then “Did I Dream It At All?” hops over these pianos to address the theme of despair.

“I’ll Be There in the Morning” starts the final leg of The Long Way Round by taking inspiration from an unpleasant experience she once had while the acoustic “My Balloon” apologizes to this individual for keep pulling them back to her. The western-tinged “Necklace” sings about feeling as if 2 worlds are intersecting & being a realist while “Never with You” ends by admitting her fear of growing old.

The Long Way Round compared to her early EPs feels like combination of so many parts of her since she’s so influenced by different genres, people, places & experiences that it’s always felt hard for me to fit my music into a consistent sound or mood. It took her a long time to realize that it’s a beautiful thing to have a body of work that explores so many different influences. It brings her intimacy, ability, inspiration depth & lightness into 1 striking debut.

Score: 4/5

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