Slowthai - TYRON (Album review)
This all being said, Slowthai has made his long awaited
return with his sophomore album TYRON. This new record is an interesting
progression for Slowthai, as well as being quite ambitious in some respects. Split
into two sections and discs, the first side is a hyper aggressive, grime and
trap focused collection of tracks with the second half being more toned down,
thoughtful and emotional. Despite the album being two discs in length, TYRON is
a pretty short release, clocking in at around the thirty five minute mark. Slowthai
is on top form on TYRON, the album is full of witty lyrics, great flow and interesting
musical sections. I think that Slowthai’s plan for was to try and put over the
duality of his personality, with his darker and lighter sides being split up
into the two different sections, kind of like a Jekyll and Hyde type thing.
The album opens with the track 45 SMOKE, kicking things off
with a short, high energy blast. From the get go Slowthai comes in with a manic
flow and clever word play. I like the kind of baby voice rap style Slowthai
uses towards the end of this track as well; it’s very reminiscent of Playboi
Carti in a way.
Next comes the track CANCELLED, a song that I was a bit put off
by before hearing it as I was worried it might come across insensitive and to
an extent I think it is a little boastful and naïve but that in itself is very
in keeping with the albums theme. It has a really strong feature from Skepta,
who honestly kind of stands out above Slowthai. There are some really cool
Astroworld sounding pulsating bass notes that play on top of Slowthai’s verse
and generally the song is banger.
MAZZA is another song with a strong feature, this time from
ASAP Rocky, who comes in towards the end of the track with a playful and fun
verse. I really enjoy the way this song flows; there are a couple of moments
where Slowthai really plays around with the songs flow in a really clever way,
making it almost sound like the song is lagging. The way this song manages to
combine this kind of playful energy whilst still sounding hostile is impressive
and Slowthai is at his best on this one.
A couple of songs later we get the track DEAD, which has
this kind of chanted militant chorus that sounds a little flat and
underwhelming. This track isn’t as angry or in your face as much as most of the
tracks on the first half of TYRON. This is probably one of the albums weaker
songs but this is more due to the fact it’s overshadowed by great tracks when
this one is just decent rather than DEAD being a bad song. It almost seems like
it would feel more at home on the second half of the album if it wasn’t for the
trap beat.
The albums slightly more reserved second half kicks off with
the track I tried, this one pulls straight away from the grime and trap
inspired beats and opts for this more classic Kanye sounding soulful beat. I
really admire how big this song goes whilst somehow still sounding quite
stripped back and raw, it really does change the whole tone of TYRON in just
one song. Lyrically this song is powerful and towards the end Slowthai opts for
this kind of lazy singing style which works really well.
Focus is a little trippier musically with the way the beat
sits under the vocals. The song changes up into a more ominous sound a couple
of times across the track with these creeping bass notes taking centre stage,
the track is cool, quirky and doesn’t over stay its welcome.
After this comes Terms, boasting a feature from Dominic Fike
and Denzel Curry. Dominic Fike provides the vocals for a chorus that doesn’t
really work for me, it sounds a bit devoid of emotion and weighs down a song
that otherwise would be one of the albums strongest, with Slowthai having some
of his best bars and best flows on this track.
However the next track Push, also features a guest sung
chorus, this time from Deb Never which works really well, having a female voice
here really sets a more quaint and emotional tone which with the juxtaposition
of Slowthai’s chaotic flow creates this hugely powerful track. I love this song
and think it’s probably one of the strongest on the album.
The song NHS in my interpretation is Slowthai trying to show
us the importance of things we rely on and stuff we don’t really care about as
much as we should I think. It’s supposedly a tribute to the NHS but the
connection is pretty vivid at best. A solid but not perfect song, whilst I
admire the sentimentality I really hate the lyric about Rick and Morty.
The last two songs on TYRON are up there with the strongest
Slowthai has ever released, the first being Feel Away with a feature from Mount
Kimbie and James Blake who I’m not usually a huge fan off but I have to admit
his contribution to this song is pretty strong. It’s an emotional and well-crafted
track, with a wonderful floaty vibe and a melancholic atmosphere.
The last song on the album is ADHD, a brilliant closer for
TYRON. It’s similar to something you would hear on KIDS SEE GHOSTS, with its
combination of psychedelic sounds and extremely personal yet dark lyrics. ADHD
ends on an absolute blast with the albums final verse being delivered in this
extremely antagonistic manner, the bars get harder, the music gets more intense
and then ends without warning leaving you craving more.
Generally TYRON is a great album, maybe not hitting as hard
as Slowthai’s debut which instantly became a classic, TYRON feels more calculated
and more of a grower. There are some brilliant tracks on this more thoughtful
and mature effort from Slowthai though, I do think that the albums second half
is a lot better than the first. Whilst I think the albums first part is still
strong and well written, it’s the second half of the album where Slowthai comes
into a more creative stride. But I have to say I’m not sure the second half of
the album would have the same impact if it wasn’t for the first half leading
into it.
Overall solid album, great to see that Slowthai had more
than one good album in him, TYRON will definitely have solidified his status as
a major play in modern rap and a key figure in British rap.
77/100
Best tracks – MAZZA, I tried, push, feel away, ADHD
Worst tracks – DEAD, WOT, terms
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