Project Preview: Ysa, Sahk Vandal, and Jason Flame & Chris J
Ysa - Shed Those Tears (Single)
A soul sample opens up this smooth-as-butter track from Nashville-based artist Ysa, and sets the tone for the rest of the song. “Shed Those Tears” features some soft-spoken, almost whispery vocals over a percussion-heavy beat. Thanks to some of the brighter instrumentation, the song contains an ethereal atmosphere that makes it too easy to close your eyes, and bop your head along to its infectious rhythm and melody. As it progresses toward its end, listening to all of the different instrumental and vocal elements come together to build toward a crescendo, before softening up to close out, was an incredibly satisfying experience, and possibly my favorite part of the track. The perfect song for a summer's day, Ysa has crafted yet another track to help fill out the soundtrack to your life.
If you like Bedroom Pop, or R&B, you should absolutely Pre-Save this track and give it several spins when it drops on July 21st!
Sahk Vandal - Understand (Single)
For his first single, Brooklyn artist Sahk Vandal enters the arena in the form of this vibrant-yet-gloomy track. Don’t let the lighter-sounding instrumentation fool you, Vandal is absolutely talking his talk as he takes us through moments in his everyday life that the average person wouldn’t understand. Carrying a soft tune, Vandal doesn’t croon like others in the melodic Trap Genre (ex: Stunna Gambino, Lil Tjay), but his lyrical content is quite similar. Adding to this, he weaves some catchy bars into his catchy flow, making for an earworm that will be impossible to get out of your head. Mixing in percussive elements of Drill music, and a soul sample in the beginning, the production is ultimately an amalgamation of several different genres that are prominent in the current NYC soundscape.
If you’re a fan of Melodic Trap, Alternative Hip-Hop, you definitely need to check out this track when it drops on July 28th. If you find yourself an especially big fan, then pop out to the DREAMS Pop Up event from GLYDE on July 30th, where Sahk Vandal and friends (Wingy, Yung+Liu) will be performing!
Jason Flame & Chris J - Enrgy Donor (EP)
On his first project since 2021’s full length album “It’s Always Been There,” Brooklyn artist Jason Flame enlists the production of Chris J to return to the fold with this 6-track EP. What ensues is something that’s predominantly sonically different than anything else Jason has put out in the past. To add to this, it’s also some of his best. The change in direction allows Jason to show off his lyrical ability over sample-heavy beats that feel like they’ve come out of The Alchemist’s vault. Jason’s bars sound hungrier than ever, as it seems like he’s fully embraced this new direction he’s taking. On the production side of things, Chris J has cooked up some great beats that appeal to the dreamy aesthetic that the sonics invoke. Not to mention, that he also makes a couple of features in the form of raps on this project too. This duo have crafted a quaint-yet-whole EP, and I cannot wait to hear what they bring to the table next.
If you’re a fan of Boom-Bap, Alternative Hip-Hop, or Bedroom Rap, you need to spin this project when it drops on July 21st! Pre-Save Here!