Tyron

グライムやパンクロックの影響を受けたラフなサウンドと若者の葛藤や悩みに響く感情的かつ大胆不敵な歌詞で注目を集めるUKノーサンプトン出身のラッパーによる2枚目となるスタジオ・アルバム。
ゲストに Skepta、A$AP Rocky、Dominic Fike、Denzel Curry、Deb Never、James Blake、Mount Kimbie をフィーチャーした全14曲を収録。

On his Top Ten-charting debut full-length, Nothing Great About Britain, slowthai addressed topics concerning Brexit-era England, particularly the widening wage gap and the struggle of the working class. Aggressive and acerbic, the Northampton-born rapper openly mocked high society on standouts like the title track and the punk-infused Doorman, yet displayed a vulnerable side with songs such as Northamptons Child and Peace of Mind, which reflected on his tumultuous upbringing. His second album is titled after his given first name, and it focuses on the rappers own complex personality, exposing his inner conflicts and embracing his flaws and contradictions. The first half of the album contains capitalized song titles, and it goes harder than any of his previous material. On the tense, chilling 45 SMOKE, he states that people refer to him as Satans son, and grime pioneer Skepta joins him on CANCELLED, a scathing reaction to the backlash which followed slowthais uncomfortable appearance at the 2020 NME Awards, during which he threw a microphone and jumped into the crowd. Following aggressive gang boasts such as VEX and the A$AP Rocky-assisted MAZZA, the more melodic, gunshot-riddled PLAY WITH FIRE unexpectedly shifts into a slower tempo as slowthai lowers his voice, setting the tone for the albums more introspective, lowercase-titled second half. He laments his broken dreams over the warm, nostalgic boom-bap of i tried, and focus reveals that despite his devil-may-care attitude, he misses his family and hes determined to improve his life. Later songs such as push (featuring Deb Never) and nhs sport gauzy guitars and delicate beats, as slowthai reflects on desire and the necessity of maintaining a balance in life. The only song on the album which focuses entirely on a relationship is the confessional feel away, which features Mount Kimbie and James Blake, who nearly ends up taking over the track. Final track adhd starts out with numbed rapping about slowthais emotional conditions and coping mechanisms before he rings up a close friend to tell him how much hes loved and missed, then ends the album with a few bars of cathartic shouting. While slowthai has always been praised for his honesty, he reveals more of himself on Tyron than before, and its equally as compelling as the sharp social commentary of his debut. ~ Paul Simpson

英国ノーサンプトン出身のラッパーによるセカンド・アルバム。ポスト・パンクなどヒップホップにとどまらない要素も取り込んだ前作『Nothing Great About Britain』とは違い、ヒップホップ色が鮮明な作品に仕上がっている。ビートは太いキックが際立ち、良質なサウンドシステムで聴くと重厚な低音が耳に襲いかかる。パンキッシュな代表曲"Doorman"に通じる音を求める者は寂しく思うかもしれないが、表現者としての成長を見い出せる力作なのは確かだ。NMEアワードでの女性蔑視発言を背景とした"CANCELLED"、イギリスの国営医療サービスを讃えた"nhs"など、より良い人になろうとする真面目さが随所で滲む。完璧でなくても学びをやめないその姿に、心を動かされる者は少なくないはずだ。
bounce (C)近藤真弥