Introducing a uniquely creative, haunting and hypnotic style of music, Medu$a’s album Cloud 9 offers a swirling, stylish approach to contemporary sound-design, and weaves in a plethora of mellow and meandering anthems for the late-night dreamers out there.
Full Throttle as an early stand-out lays bare the Medu$a sound in a memorable way. Cascading layers of warped melody alongside a retro hip hop rhythm back up a long-form yet gentle vocal outpouring, which brings together elements of trip hop and alternative RnB.
Mellow in pace yet relentless in vocal content, the song offers pop qualities in topic and presentation, but for the most part highlights an artist with an interesting and refreshingly unusual intention.
The album’s title-track as an opener is also a fairly strong way to kick things off, immediately promising a memorable riff and heavy bass-led backdrop, alongside which Medu$a’s voice delivers an addictive, tired rasp and personal story-line that quickly connects. A little Lana in topic and tone, undoubtedly artistic in musicality and versatility though – particularly as the album goes on.
Haunting cinematic qualities stand tall throughout an unsettling hip hop anthem that is Savage. Great production, unusual again yet still offering a strong groove to meet with the contemporary swagger of the vocal. The verses break things up well, bringing in a touch of Billie Eilish for a fresh twist of inspiration.
One final highlight from the project is the melodic, keys-led nostalgia and breathy confidence of Used To. By now, Medu$a’s style is set in stone, even with that eclecticism between tracks. The voice, the perspective, the musical freedom, this blending of hip hop and alternative pop – it all works well at this time to crack into the scene with relevance and originality carefully intertwined.
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