Slowthai’s meteoric rise kicked off in 2019 with his debut LP ‘Nothing Great About Britain’, an album that saw the Northampton artist’s (real name Tyron Frampton) unabashed lyricism and punk rock tendencies merge into the grime and hip hop scene. This paved the way for collaborations with the likes of Tyler, the Creator and BROCKHAMPTON on ‘Igor’ and ‘Ginger’ respectively.
Arriving after nearly two years, Slowthai’s second record ‘TYRON’ delivers grimy and ruthless lyricism backed by an onslaught of crushed snares, sirens, and vampiric imagery via an impressive roster of collaborators, all working to build onto Slowthai’s crass, kick-your-teeth-in soundscapes with unwavering confidence.
“Combining pathos-charged storytelling, vulnerability, and a beautiful surrender of past and present torment, Slowthai invites listeners to see past the cheeky grin, coy lyricism and his public persona.”
Opening track “45 SMOKE” encompasses this notion using heavily compressed snares, lyrical repetition and alliteration that roars the record forward, capitalising on the rapper’s debut offering while distinguishing itself with a flurry of lyrical and sonic combos that punch above its weight class.
On ‘TYRON’, Slowthai is joined by an extensive array of features from the likes of A$AP Rocky, Skepta, Denzel Curry, Dominic Fike, James Blake, Mount Kimbie and Deb Never. Each artist infuses their distinct artistic trademarks into ‘TYRON’, delivering a euphonious array of music that transcends slowthai’s previous work.
Moreover, the thematic perpetuation of Slowthai’s hardships is a key element that looms over the album and interweaves itself between the two discs. The record’s second track “CANCELLED” delves into Slowthai’s attempt to survive the expectation of perfection and overcome the obstacles of cancel culture. The track alludes to Slowthai’s past incident at the NME awards, and his inappropriate behaviour towards host Katherine Ryan, as well as the social backlash the rapper faced on social media and subsequent efforts made to make his tenure void.
Combining pathos-charged storytelling, vulnerability, and a beautiful surrender of past and present torment, Slowthai invites listeners to see past the cheeky grin, coy lyricism and his public persona — all of which are captured in the pared-back second half of the record, on tracks like “adhd” and “feel away”.
“adhd” encapsulates Slowthai’s lyrical and personal duality throughout ‘TYRON’, as Slowthai embraces his imperfect nature born out of past hardship, and longing for love and acceptance — feelings which stem from Frampton’s personal battle with ADHD. He muses, “I got tendencies, psycho tendencies, touch me tenderly, heaven let me in.”
As the record progresses, the lines between ‘TYRON’ and Slowthai’s conceptual and personal growth continue to blur. Dedicated to Slowthai’s baby brother, “feel away” paints a somber picture that cuts through the developed hype and grit with piercing emotional accessibility, while “i tried” nods to NYC influences, brandishing a nostalgic boom bap beat that hearkens back to the mid-’90s sounds pioneered by NWA.
This extensive diversification continues on “push” and “terms”; the inclusion of acoustic guitar-picking, and Curry, Never and Fike’s vocal performances, deliver refreshingly airy moments that delicately dance along Slowthai’s jagged flow and lyricism, allowing listeners to catch momentarily catch their breath.
‘TYRON’ sees Slowthai explores grittier and sinister soundscapes juxtaposed against anguished anecdotes around depression, drug use, mental illness, and suicide. It’s a riveting, yet seamless journey that comes to a climactic end as Slowthai kisses his listeners goodbye in the record’s final moments.
‘TYRON’ is out on Friday 12 February.