‘ISTHISFORREAL?’ sounds like it came from the back rooms of a nightclub with flashing light fixtures. By assuming the seedy, neurotic gristles of the issues he addresses, KTown comes to embody them with an irony undercut by stone-cold seriousness. That said, while tracks like ‘MISOPHONIALOVE’ contain a smart premise, they would be more proportionate in substance to an interlude or even a verse. It’s a wider issue on the album: across just twenty-four minutes, it grows surprisingly arid due to mismatched mixing and a monotonous performance from it’s maker. ‘IS THIS FORREAL?’ is a serrated listen that often thrills with bass, but falls short of full-blooded execution.
18/30
A favourite: ‘HISTORY TENSION’
‘ISTHISFORREAL?’ is out now via Stones Throw Records.
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