Sargeant X Comrade, K!MMORTAL, Dazey, and kmoe
Sargeant X Comrade - Power Vol. 1
Yolanda Sargeant and Evgeniy "Comrade" Bykovets have been some of the notable power houses in rap and hip-hop to come out of Calgary, along with the likes of Cartel Madras and Tea Fannie. Leaning into soul, disco, trip hop, and R&B, Power Vol. 1 covers an extensive range of sound that can come from intensely commanding vocals such as the titular track, where Sargeant educates us on this central theme, to softer jazzier takes. Seriously, this is one hell of a starting track that can hook you well into the rest of this album. Comrade’s productions cover a lot of ground genre-wise, giving a strong foundation for the vocal and lyrical work that happens on top. At times, Sargeant’s vocals give off this early-70s era Aretha Franklinesque jazz soul that compliments Comrade’s eclectic productions in tracks like “Old Familiar Feelin’” and “Kick It With You (Papers).” This is not to say that there are no songs that hit that more conventional hip-hop edge, because tracks like “Glasses” — which brings a solid vocal performance from Sargeant over crisp lo-fi beats — and “Distant Lands” — which includes an excellent cast of features — show off what the duo is able to bring together to the mix. With a diverse sound and tight production, Sargeant X Comrade’s latest record deserves your attention if you haven’t picked up anything of theirs yet.
K!MMORTAL - sunniest of days
K!MMORTAL is one of the most notable up-and-coming hip-hop musicians in Canada, and this latest EP is a short and sweet example of what makes K!MMORTAL into a well-thought out and sharp project. The Vancouver-based rapper showcases their lush jazz and soul inspired production which is reminiscent of the kind of sounds one might find in a Noname or a McKinley Dixon. With an incredible cast of features that include Shad, FRANKY, Super Duty Tough Work, and Nimkish, K!MMORTAL arranges different reflective scenes around the weird vulnerability found in being human in a world that is slowly crumbling. At times mournful and at others hopeful, this EP portrays a compassionate and caring attitude that K!MMORTAL brings into their artistry. The EP gets into it, with the mental fog described in "Strange Maze,” the liminal space between hope and doom in the title track, or subtle intimacy that lets go of fixations on rigid game plans in “Bones.” Between gentle compositions and poetic lyricism by all the vocalists involved, this record is an introspective summer album—the kind which would have you slow down to sit under a tree after getting caught up in the shuffle of all things busy.
Dazey - This is all i am i guess,
The Charlottetown-based pop punk outfit Dazey released a delightful FREE record with their EP This is all i am i guess,. If you are a fan of the melodies of pop punk, the fuzz of shoegaze, and the dramatic vocals of midwest emo, this is an album not to miss out. This EP is the first full release that features drummer Riley Peters along with guitarist/vocalist Dazey Steinman and bassist/vocalist Hannah Bridger. The project started with Steinman’s lo-fi solo recordings which gave way to the current line up’s fleshed out sound. The EP’s fast pace grooves and catchy riffs are instantly gripping enough, but the vocal performance and production really glues this whole sound together. Especially the vocal production in “We haven’t spoke in years” with all the layering, reverb, and doubling. And when the instrumental is at its cleanest in “Silly,” well, this becomes an opportunity to show off some fuzzy vocals and production leaning into lo-fi territory in such an effective way. Interestingly enough, the album ends with a minimalist electronic take that revisits Dazey’s earlier solo recordings with more fleshed out songwriting and production. This may be an odd reference, but their sound reminds me a lot of the Clone High theme song by Abandoned Pools. Except louder. WAY louder.
kmoe - K1
I first came across kmoe back in 2019 when he released an internet love story, an album that became one of the early highlights of hyperpop showcasing his influences from synthwave and digicore. Since then, the project has been rebooted with this latest album, K1. The album features a more maximalist blown-out sound approaching hyperpop through an angle that is more reminiscent of alternative rock and pop punk in a similar vein to what underscores and Frost Children are doing. Although the album is generally blown-out and saturated with sidechains, dynamic EQs, and multiband compressions to organize its sonic space, this still offers a crisp album that doesn’t shy away from softer takes in tracks like “Bloodbath (Dance)” while not compromising the underlying sonic palette. The album includes some more straight-up digicore with tracks like “Head first” which shows off the affinity between what kmoe has been known for all these years and what this latest album offers—a growth reminiscent of what we have seen in Jane Remover’s Revengeseekerz which displays how much these musicians have developed their sounds since their collaboration in the critically acclaimed Teen Week EP (2021).
