Who Am You
apartment 11
Self Released
2016
The debut EP by Riverside artist Who Am You is an impressive blend of chillwave/surf rock style beats with a rhyming style reminiscent of SLUG or Blu. Seven tracks of music refusing to be nailed down to a specific genre. In an age where modern mainstream Hip Hop is full of lyrics about partying, bitches and how much money they have, it’s refreshing to have someone come along talking about self doubt, love, overcoming drug addiction and believing in yourself. It’s easier to relate to allowing you to enjoy the music that much more. Especially how well the beats compliment the lyrics. This EP was done with a DIY mentality as far as editing goes and it shows. As awesome as that is, it does allow some flaws to poke their heads out. For example, I’m not a big fan of the second half of “Nothing Better”. The first half of this track is awesome but once it transitions to a postal service cover for the second half it felt a bit awkward. In my opinion, the main contributor to this is the vocal effects used. It just didn’t sound like it went well with the rest of the song. That is really my only complaint about this EP. I love everything else about it. From the opening track “Snailtrails” with its Jets to Brazil esque melody, to “Empire of the Spun” sampling “Walking on Dream by Empire of the Sun, and its closing track “apartment 11” which is just him singing over an acoustic guitar. This EP offers something for fans of a variety of types of music.
NOTABLE TRACKS:
•I’m Not Crazy
•Complaining About Nothing
•Empire Of The Spun
LISTEN
FFO: Blu & Exile, Atmosphere, Toro Y Moi
