For many, being a teenager brings with it a sense of exploration and discovery; socially, personally and sometimes spiritually in many aspects of life…and for many of MY generation, our teenage years were fuelled by an angst-ridden soundtrack of Nu-metal rap/rock crossovers . We all remember owning the baggy jeans, flaming shirts (Remember those bad boys? Guy Fieri knows what I’m talking about) the skateboard, the spray-can for the tagging…sorry I got carried away with LIMP BIZKIT then…and discovering so many bands your parents hated not even Rachel Riley could keep up with the numbers. But while some of us MAY have grown out of that, and despite not only OUR tastes changing, but the whole world of music itself evolving, some bands still enjoy peddling their rap rock wares to newer, younger generations. With that in mind, today we’re going to be looking at Los Angeles rap-cartel HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and their newest EP “Psalms”. Following on from the last album “V”, they intend to tide fans over with this new five-track EP while they work on a new full length scheduled for a 2019 release. The questions is, are these songs sacred as the EP’s title suggests, or is this more a pile of Holy Shit?
The EP opens up with “Bloody Nose” but stylistically it’s less of a smack in the face and more of a pace palm to be honest…for the most part a slow-tempo, alternative hip-hop offering with occasionally brooding riffs, coupled with a generally melodic chorus and pleasantly harmonic vocals. There are some more aggressive vocals leading into a bridge but for the most part it’s a generic track that doesn’t really push the boat out. Don’t worry about the title though; you won’t be needing any Kleenex after this one, it’s not POOR but it’s not exactly pummelling either. We follow this up however with clear EP highlight “Live Fast Die Young” and its soft 80’s inspired synth lead, with subdued percussion and hypnotic rhythm provides a genuinely enjoyable listen. The rapped lyrics add an extra dynamic with a change of tone and character but it doesn’t detract from the easy-listening pop-production overall; this is incredibly catchy and gets better with each listen…a solid track this.
Sadly the rest of the EP goes a little bit downhill and the remaining three tracks fail to inspire any level of investment…”Something To Believe” aside from it’s monotonous, droning vocal display offers a really supercilious chorus, attempting to sound like this grand, beautifully produced pop piece…you’d honestly be better off listening to ONE DIRECTION. “Another Level” makes early references to mosh-pits but it’s sadly not as worthwhile as past efforts by TINIE TEMPAH and EMINEM when it comes to awkwardly referencing moshing…and seriously, that chorus; when you say you’re on another level what exactly do you mean; of the fucking spectrum? It would TAKE someone autistic to enjoy this! Finally then we close up on “Gotta Let Go” and truthfully this is a bit better. An innocent beat with a happy-go-lucky tone with more melody and charm rounding things off on a quaint note. While the EP starts off decently, even the quality of “Live Fast Die Young” can’t save this from its overall sub-par quality. Sure it’s a stop-gap for the next full-length but so much of this, even though it’s only five tracks, feels phoned in. They may not literally be un-dead, but they’re definitely sleepwalking through this one… [3]
The EP opens up with “Bloody Nose” but stylistically it’s less of a smack in the face and more of a pace palm to be honest…for the most part a slow-tempo, alternative hip-hop offering with occasionally brooding riffs, coupled with a generally melodic chorus and pleasantly harmonic vocals. There are some more aggressive vocals leading into a bridge but for the most part it’s a generic track that doesn’t really push the boat out. Don’t worry about the title though; you won’t be needing any Kleenex after this one, it’s not POOR but it’s not exactly pummelling either. We follow this up however with clear EP highlight “Live Fast Die Young” and its soft 80’s inspired synth lead, with subdued percussion and hypnotic rhythm provides a genuinely enjoyable listen. The rapped lyrics add an extra dynamic with a change of tone and character but it doesn’t detract from the easy-listening pop-production overall; this is incredibly catchy and gets better with each listen…a solid track this.
Sadly the rest of the EP goes a little bit downhill and the remaining three tracks fail to inspire any level of investment…”Something To Believe” aside from it’s monotonous, droning vocal display offers a really supercilious chorus, attempting to sound like this grand, beautifully produced pop piece…you’d honestly be better off listening to ONE DIRECTION. “Another Level” makes early references to mosh-pits but it’s sadly not as worthwhile as past efforts by TINIE TEMPAH and EMINEM when it comes to awkwardly referencing moshing…and seriously, that chorus; when you say you’re on another level what exactly do you mean; of the fucking spectrum? It would TAKE someone autistic to enjoy this! Finally then we close up on “Gotta Let Go” and truthfully this is a bit better. An innocent beat with a happy-go-lucky tone with more melody and charm rounding things off on a quaint note. While the EP starts off decently, even the quality of “Live Fast Die Young” can’t save this from its overall sub-par quality. Sure it’s a stop-gap for the next full-length but so much of this, even though it’s only five tracks, feels phoned in. They may not literally be un-dead, but they’re definitely sleepwalking through this one… [3]
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