Through the American grapevine, I heard of an upcoming
rap artist that just dropped an album of the title ‘Lost Files’. We know this
artist as X.U.L.
Raised in the Dominican Republic, X.U.L travelled to
the USA as a bright-eyed hopeful, longing to find a better opportunity that got
him closer to living out his dream as a musician. X.U.L discovered music at the
age of 17 whilst attending a church at which his aunt and uncle were pastors.
His aunt provided him with a toy keyboard and, thus, a passion for music was
born.
Struggling with the suffocation of shyness, promoting his talent has proven quite the challenge for X.U.L; and yet, with the strength of his perseverance and drive, 2022 sees X.U.L’s fourth album. Finding his feet in 2019 with debut album ‘Welcome to ChinaTown’, X.U.L has spent years refining his craft and – hopefully – building the confidence to perform live for the first time in his career!
Why not see if we can boost that confidence a little?
*
‘Lost Files’ wastes no time in establishing a
saturnine, angsty mood in a track of the title ‘FUCK FEELINGS’.
Opening with an intricate pizzicato and buttery
vocals, ‘FUCK FEELINGS’ immediately exudes a clockwork of crooning melodies and
sultry harmonies. Bronzed by a fusillade of stocky, 808-style drumbeats, there
is a warm timbre that permeates across the introductory verses. It seamlessly
parallels the fluidity of the rhythm that is water-tight throughout, reflecting
the bitterness of the title.
At the moment I thought the song was becoming too
repetitive to maintain its distinctiveness, X.U.L capsized the flow and
envenomated the beat with a crisp tonality that chilled the melody to freezing
temps.
I wish the whole track was as clear-cut and precise –
this is where I hear X.U.L’s potential and less so in the hazy mumble style of
rap that has exploded over the last decade.
Although I can see the potential of X.U.L, I think he
would stand out more if he engaged the mumble-rap style from a new, refreshing
perspective. What I’ve come to expect from the lyricism of this style is
centred around three things: boast-worthy wealth, colourful drug-use, or
sex-obsessed pursuits. For ‘FUCK FEELINGS’, the latter of the three seems to be
prevalent and I just wish the lyrics had diverged from that convention.
That being said, the track rounds off an abrupt, but
suave diminuendo that hangs the breath of the listener on a potent cadence.
*
Onto the next track to fly across my radar: ‘LATE AT
NIGHT’.
Straight away, the instrumentation had me raise an
eyebrow when I heard it. Strangely enough, the sombre melody of the piano -
befogged by a bijou timbre – reminded me of Akira Yamaoka’s work on the Silent
Hill soundtracks. Even though I don’t think this was intentional on X.U.L’s
part, it certainly made the harmonies stand out as beautifully sunless and
wondrous.
Setting the composition alight with a sparking,
moderato tempo, this track stands to be the best one of the album for me. The expeditious
rhythm contrasts X.U.L’s drowsy, languid rap style in a harmonious manner,
striking the perfect balance between a tranquil dreamscape and racing
consciousness.
It’s in lo-fi-esque tracks like this where I feel
mumble-rap is best suited.
Towards the end of the track, X.U.L sequesters the
initial melodic structure of the piano that introduced us to ‘LATE AT NIGHT’.
Upon the conclusive vocal tacet, the listener gets to wade in the chill mood,
resembling that of a screen slowing fading to black or a leisurely venture into
a hidden forest.
This track is peaceful and soothing, something which I
never would’ve expected given the genre of music. Colour me impressed.
*
Coming to the final track I’ll be diving into, ‘TTO’ opens
with a glistening melody that paved the way for X.U.L’s signature, somnolent
rapping.
The andante tempo and loud-quiet dynamics embellish
the rhythm with a slow-burning effect of sensuality that permeates over the
track until a certain insurgence. The insurgence I am referring to is the
fire-polished entrance of Jeff Stones. Having worked with X.U.L before on
single ‘Change Your Life’ in 2020, Stones makes a return with his perspicuous
rap style.
Together, X.U.L and Stones craft a stark contrast
within their harmonies that gives the listener the best of both worlds. X.U.L’s
emotive mistiness becomes crystallized in the viper-strike of Stones’ ice-cold
technique, and they sound as if they were born to rap alongside one another.
Likening to the conclusive instrumentation in ‘LATE AT
NIGHT’, the vocals ripple out amongst the chiming melody and – now isolated –
it ebbs the listener towards a sudden cadence that leaves them speechless.
*
X.U.L’s album ‘Lost Files’ sees the end of an exciting
year for the young musician; following in the footsteps of a plethora of
eclectic singles and the ensnaring EP ‘Damn X!!’. With ambitions to shoot a
music video in the future, I am excited to see what X.U.L does next…maybe a
live performance? Fingers crossed!
X.U.L’s Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ntAS1sByiKPMQYLoMy47u?si=E37IZL4HRnSn3BRckzzWEw
X.U.L’s Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMKEK3cX_wonLvZ4roUyolQ
X.U.L’s SoundCloud:
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