Album Review: TYRON - slowthai

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to see rap group BROCKHAMPTON in concert at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta. After waiting in line for merch, my girlfriend and I made our way to our seats. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that slow that was opening for that show, which wasn’t long after the release of his debut studio album Nothing Great About Britain. Abrasive, aggressive, and full of energy, slowthai’s set was extremely memorable. It was so intense, in fact, that multiple audience members passed out in the middle of their mosh pits. I largely associated slowthai with this set from then on and assumed his music was mostly surface-level bangers. That is precisely why his sophomore album TYRON appeals to me so much - it’s a split record with half intense songs and half introspective cuts making up the tracklisting. Deeper than expected, this record impressed me on many levels.

Just because slowthai’s hard-hitting and energetic songs aren’t that deep doesn’t mean that they don’t chaotically slap. The record’s opener “45 SMOKE” facilitates slowthai’s confident grime delivery and lyricism perfectly. The bass kicks throughout and the only downside is slowthai’s different delivery toward the end of the track. “Cancelled (feat. Skepta)” is the epitome of grimy British rap in action, as the two essential declare that they are uncancellable. The production is bouncy and catchy here, as has become standard on slowthai’s records. “MAZZA (feat. A$AP Rocky)” is one of my favorite tracks on the record, as it utilizes its feature fantastically. This track is as mad and insane as its title suggests.

“VEX” is a shorter transitional track, but slowthai packs in as many bars as he can over the concise and bouncy beat behind him. “WOT” offers a luxurious and floor-shaking bass for its 48-second runtime, and mainly just leaves me wanting more evolution. It does transition well into “DEAD”, though, which features another killer beat and more introspective lyrics from slowthai as he begins to shift the album’s tone closer to the record’s second half. This is especially true with the last track on the A-side, “PLAY WITH FIRE”, which takes a turn to a softer and more mellow atmosphere. slowthai begins discussing deeper concepts here, which is refreshing to hear from him.

“i tried” is the first track on the second half of the album’s 14 song tracklisting, and we can immediately recognize the change in tone. A decadent and sentimental instrumental allows slowthai to explore more artistic and reflective bars, like “If hell’s meant for sinning, heaven’s never been for me.” Another indicator of the tonal change is the shift to lowercase song titles - a subtle but creative touch. “Focus” uses a very unique beat with ascending vocal backing, and again, slowthai gets more introspective than we’ve ever heard him. The beat evolves into something bouncier, but still subdued and calmer than typical.

“terms (feat. Dominic Fike & Denzel Curry)” is another highlight on this project, although I wish Denzel Curry was more involved than the pitched vocal before slowthai’s verses. slowthai discusses his upbringing and mindset, and Dominic Fike’s chorus pairs with the rest of the track perfectly. “push (feat. Deb Never)” introduced me to the featured artist, whose beautiful vocal opening really caught me off guard. The acoustic instrumental is minimal and gentle, adding a level of complexity to slowthai’s bars, which again are about his mindset and relationships with others.

“nhs” sounds very much like the BROCKHAMPTON songs that I listened to live after slowthai opened for them in 2019. This is a fairly happy-sounding song but is a little bleaker upon further analysis in that it basically states we can’t have happiness without sadness. This is a more mature concept than I expected slowthai to tackle on this record, and while the execution isn’t perfect, I still enjoy this track very much. I was excited to see James Black on “feel away (feat. James Blake & Mount Kimbie)”, and was not disappointed, as Blake delivered as per usual. Again, this track is deeper than it sounds on its surface, but in the best way possible. “adhd” reflects nicely on the album’s themes, and allows for slowthai to declare his new-found confidence and attitude toward life. It ends abruptly, but I think that was quite intentional. A solid closer to a great album.

It’s incredibly satisfying to watch artists mature sonically and lyrically. slowthai has a bright future ahead of him if he allows both sides of his unexpectedly complex personality to shine simultaneously. I saw slowthai open for BROCKHAMPTON accidentally, and now I’d pay to see his show. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here, and there’s no reason to think it’s anywhere but up. I highly recommend checking this record out.

Favorite tracks: “45 SMOKE”, “CANCELLED (feat. Skepta)”, “MAZZA (feat. A$AP Rocky)”, “PLAY WITH FIRE”, “i tried”, “terms (feat. Dominic Fike & Denzel Curry)”, “push (feat. Deb Never)”, “nhs”, “feel away (feat. James Blake & Mount Kimbie)”, “adhd”

SCORE: 7/10