NEW ADDS: Doechii, Vegyn & Léa Sen

"Turn Me Inside" - Vegyn & Léa Sen

"Turn Me Inside" - Vegyn & Léa Sen
Genre: Electronic, Trip-Hop
RIYL: Portishead, Massive Attack, Broadcast

“Turn Me Inside” is the third track off Vegyn’s latest LP, The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions. If I’m honest, I didn’t know much about Vegyn before listening to this song. But after hearing it, I’m not at all surprised he’s from London. “Turn Me Inside” evokes a hazy, hypnotic feel reminiscent of the trip-hop and IDM acts coming out of England in the 90s.

Vegyn showcases his production skills on this track, creatively manipulating the song’s elements to develop a rich soundscape. The drums are enthralling, as each element is filtered and panned differently, bouncing all over the stereo image to give the beat a mesmerizing texture. I especially love the high-pitched bit-crushed distortion that hangs over the track; it creates a sense of hazy disconnection between the listener and the rest of the track, adding another dimension to the song’s hypnotic sense of artificiality. When the distortion is removed halfway through the song, the fog clears, and the space immediately feels more intimate. 

This feel can in large part be attributed to Léa Sen’s fantastic vocal performance. Her voice is whisper-soft, yet sits rather loud in the mix—I can’t help but be reminded of Elisabeth Fraser’s vocals on Massive Attack’s iconic “Teardrop.” Her voice can also be heard in the background, where reversed clippings add to the spacey trip-hop-esque atmosphere.

Even though I’ve been a little frustrated with the rain in LA as of late, “Turn Me Inside” perfectly fits the walking-outside-on-a-rainy-day vibe, so I’m not too upset. I’m going to go outside and listen to the rest of The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions. I hope you do as well.

- Shalen Farahi

"Alter Ego (with JT)" - Doechii

"Alter Ego (with JT)" - Doechii
Genre: Alternative Rap, Hyperpop
RIYL: Rico Nasty, Azealia Banks, Baby Tate 

With a hyper-vogue beat and screeching vocals, Florida rapper Doechii is returning to her aggressive rap roots. Her new single starts off strong with an Ayesha Erotica sample, whose viral hits, along with Charli XCX and 100 gecs, are often credited as the cause for the resurgence of Hyperpop in the mainstream. Her use of the sample is a fun nod to the genre that Doechii has briefly dabbled in before. 

Doechii proudly raps about her superiority to other female rappers, possibly responding to Azealia Banks who previously accused Doechii of being an “ugly version” of Banks and said Doechii should call her fandom the “wannabe’s” (sic). Azealia Banks and Doechii are admittedly similar, but Doechii is quick to assert her growing popularity and success over Banks. In my opinion, her assertion is held up by the fact that she actually released a good, hyper-rap song, which Banks hasn’t done in years. 

Doechii is accompanied by JT, one-half of the Pussy Rap duo City Girls. This track is an unconventional style for JT, but she manages to pull her weight and deliver a solid verse with possible nods to her own Rap beefs. “Alter Ego” is angry, vengeful and so fun. Doechii’s most recent projects have had a Pop-Rap feel, but it’s refreshing to see her return to her angry, alternative roots.

- Lalou Ratsimihah