Paris Texas - BOY ANONYNMOUS

The Enigma that is Alt Rap.

We’ve finally getting a lot of really good music! It feels like forever ago that I enjoyed a project in its entirety but this album takes the cake; everything that’s come out has either disappointed, totally flopped or under delivered (specially in the alt rap stratosphere) but Paris Texas has come in to save the day!

In this review, I’ll be covering a brand-new duo in the rap scene that I think you should keep your eyes on; these dudes know what they’re doing and it shows: Compton rappers Louie Pastel and Felix joined forces in the past year and broke into the mainstream with their hit single “HEAVY METAL”. There isn’t too much to say about the duo’s emergence into the scene since “BOY ANONYMOUS” is their first album that JUST released last Friday, so lets just jump right in.

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You know the drill; I pick my top 3 favorite songs off the project, go into detail about how ingenious and innovative they are, then you go and listen to it and share it with your friends!

Starting off with the intro song “CASINO”: when my roommate put this on in our music-listening area I was immediately put into a trance at how Paris Texas’s vocals compliment the spaced out, almost hyper poppy melody that ducks in and out throughout the whole track whenever they decide to deliver a bar that goes against all conventional rap topics; like my personal favorite: “I’ve never been on the block, I just stay in the house, I used to cum in a sock”. The instrumental also takes a nosedive into the grey area between some alt rock, EDM and stereotypical trap; a super well-balanced song that delivers on all parts.

One to the next song; “PACK 4 DA LOW” is the second song on this project and BOY does it BANG! A lot of shit goes down in this song, like the introduction on the heavy, distorted guitar riffs layered on top of that FATASS 808 pattern with another weirdly melodic rage-esqe melody which I’m sure that if you were to speed up the sample the tiniest bit you can pull off an Uzi feature on this track. Lyricism follows the same sorta vibe as the previous song; some weird, off-kilter-ass delivery all throughout mixed with some more stabs taken at being a socialite.

Lastly, my favourite song award off this project must go to “SITUATIONS”. This track is what it would be like if you were to get the Beatles singing over a beat produced by Kevin Abstract and King Krule all mashed together;  an awesome headbanging compilation of filtered out background vocals mixed with a catchy guitar riff and a hip-thrusting bassline and drum pattern. This track makes me wanna throw on a white leather jacket with skinny red leather pants, walk down the street and  smoke a cigarette as I gatekeep the shitty, run down café down the street from all the “cool kids”.

That’s it for this review! I strongly recommend this album to anyone that’s interested in venturing into the weirder sides of rap and rock. To all my BROCKHAMTON, Baby Keem, and early hard rock fans out there, this project doesn’t shy away from wearing its inspirations on its sleeve as both rappers mess around with similar vibes and groove. Thanks again for stopping by! Don’t forget to keep up with the latest Nefarious news (especially the new merch drop). Stay safe, get vaccinated, and show love to small artists.


97 BLOSSOMS - THE BLOSSOM (Review)

 

The Blossom is an LA based artist who is making waves in their own right through their interesting music and amazing subject matter. 97 Blossoms debuted on April 6th 2021 under the VIDEO STORE label.

 

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Confetti

Confetti, the first song on the album gives us a nostalgic feeling, bringing us back to the early days of summer as a teenager when life was simpler. The smooth 90’s-esque guitar makes us think of the music we grew up with and the songs we would hear on the radio in the car with our parents. The lyrics in the first verse show the feelings of summer and walking everywhere you have to go, making your shoes dusty, and catching the train. These feelings are all ones we have experienced, and the song really does a great job of bringing us right back to those moments. The songs chorus talks about reality and how “Shit’s upsetting” and wanting a life wrapped in confetti, speaking about the want to live beyond reality and live in an easier time in memory.

Hardcore Happy

            Hardcore Happy brings us to an early 2000’s feel, with the reoccurring theme of raw acoustic guitar as the main sound clip throughout the song. The beat slowly kicks in and gives the song a nice modern twist that helps differentiate itself from the first song on the project. The Lyrics of the song describe wanting hardcore happy, possibly asking for better days and a happier life. They integrate some recent topics as well, such as gender identity and how gender identity can be assumed by many.  This topic is taking the power back from the people who have misgendered them and caused them harm in that way. Altogether this song brings their style of song writing to a new modern view making the listener feel some of the emotions they experience.

 

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Smoke

Smoke hits us harder than the first two tracks with a beat that hits us hard from the get go. The song also features Matt Champion from BROCKHAMPTON, and has a more trap feeling to it with Champion’s verse. The song gives us a view into THE BLOSSOM’s style when it comes to production, as well as giving us lots of variety in sound. The lyrics are also more serious than the others, making us feel a more serious and powerful message than the others.

Shapeshifter

Shapeshifter brings us back to the sound we have been used to with this album, but brings an interesting topic to the topic. The idea of shape-shifting relates back to their lyrics in Hardcore Happy, speaking about their gender identity. The lyric “ I can be they, I can be so gay” relates directly to this idea as well, as they tend to mention their identity quite often, indicating that it is an important topic. An interesting note about this song is the instrumental section at the end of it, which has become a somewhat rare occurrence in music today, so to see a instrumental section just demonstrating the production is a very refreshing aspect of this album.

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Black Eye

            Black eye brings us a total change of pace. I’ll be honest, at first I was confused with the way that it hit me so hard with the bass and then the hard hitting subject matter as well. This song gets real and down to some serious problems. They discuss ideas of self-value and the problems with reliance on other’s perceptions of self, as well as going over themes of depression and sadness due to societal pressures. The song gives a very heavy somber feeling with the use of the heavy bass and the light piano playing in contrast of each other as the song goes on. The song is also the most melodic in the album and wins my top spot for songs on this album in the fact that it makes you truly feel something, as well as being beautifully put together. 

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Cloves

Cloves gives us a very happy send off to the end of the album. The theme of the song has a very light and happy tone to it that gives us a glimmer of hope after listening to some more serious and very real subject matter. The lyrics give us a feeling of moving forward and getting on with life, trying to make a better future for oneself especially after the events of “Blackeye”. The song gives us something to make us feel like we have closure, thus making it the perfect song to end the album on.  


This album is a great listen if you are looking to get an introduction into what the new sound for the next generation of music will sound like. For more content like this please feel free to follow us on Instagram, twitter, and sign up for our news letter.