Everybody’s favourite sad Swedish rapper Yung Lean is back with a new track today, ahead of the release of the deluxe edition of his sophomore album Warlord. Entitled Pearl Fountain, the track is classic Lean and will appeal to fans of the Sad Boy rapper and his crew.
Pearl Fountain is just one of the new cuts taken from the repackaged album, with Lean enlisting the help of regular contributor and Gravity Boy member Bladee and Goth Money Records C.E.O. Black Kray. Each MC brings their own flair to the track, with Lean’s off-kilter flow, Bladee’s heavily auto-tuned vocals and Kray’s slurry rhymes working well together over the spacey, 90s rave production courtesy of Yung Sherman and Acea.
While the details on the deluxe edition of Warlord are scarce, if Pearl Fountain is anything to go by then the extra tracks will be worth forking out your hard earned for again. I really enjoyed the original version of Warlord (check out my review here), as Lean experimented with his sound and displayed a maturity in his song writing, even if he’s still rapping about video games, early 00s nostalgia and drug culture.
The deluxe edition of Warlord drops Friday April 29 and you can download Pearl Fountain for free here.
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Image: Highsnobiety
Kendrick Lamar – untitled, unmastered.
A surprise release, untitled, unmastered. is a collection of eight Kendrick Lamar tracks that are as lyrically and musically captivating as anything he’s released. As the title explains, each track is untitled and unmastered, with the only information provided being a date of the original recording. It’s most likely these tracks were part of the To Pimp A Butterfly sessions during 2013 and 2014, with two (untitled 3 and untitled 8) having been performed on late night television.
Like TPAB, untitled, unmastered. incorporates elements of jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop, with Lamar’s social and political commentary present throughout. The book of Revelations and the apocalypse crop up on album opener untitled 1, the effects of greed are broken down on untitled 8, first performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, while the hazy and violent Jay Rock featuring untitled 5 is Lamar at his melodic best over the psychedelic jazz instrumentation.
Verdict: Any words I write don’t really do this album justice, as it deserves to be dissected and discussed at length, which I’m sure it will. Just know that untitled, unmastered. confirms that Kendrick Lamar is the most important figure in hip-hop, and quite possibly music today.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS0geQsfcHk]
2 Chainz & Lil Wayne – ColleGrove
Last week we discussed why we believed ColleGrove would be awful, and while the teaming of 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne isn’t a complete failure, it’s not something you’ll be spinning on high rotation.
As a whole, ColleGrove feels much more like a 2 Chainz album devoted to praising Wayne, as evident by the somber opener Dedication. That’s not to say Wayne doesn’t hold his own at times, delivering one of his better verses in ages on Section and sounding revitalised on Bounce, but his contribution feels like that of a bit player, popping up here and there to lend support. While the chemistry between the two varies from great to terrible, it’s the 2 Chainz solo cuts like 100 Joints and Watch Out that really make ColleGrove worth a listen.
Verdict: Gap filler until 2 Chainz drops his third album.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB_W7wzk3Xw]
Santigold – 99c
It feels like an eternity since Santigold released her sophomore album Master Of My Make-Believe. In that time the musical landscape has continued to evolve at a rapid pace and many of her contemporaries have struggled commercially (I’m looking at you M.I.A.), but with third release, 99c, Santigold has created a tropical pop paradise that shouldn’t be overlooked.
While the album arrived without much fanfare, 99c is pure unadulterated pop from the get go. Album opener Can’t Get Enough Of Myself is a song about self-absorption and promotion in the social media age, and much like the album’s cover, is bright and loud, with Santi as the vocal point. Rendezvous, Who I Thought You Were and the hand clap featuring Banshee are all throwbacks to Santi’s earlier work, which isn’t a bad thing at all. My favourite is the slinking Who Be Lovin’ Me, a slow trap influenced duet with warbler iLoveMakonnen.
Verdict: Santigold makes it three from three with 99c.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0PD1nVz0kA]
Yung Lean – Warlord
The fact Yung Lean has released a second album is a remarkable feat in itself. It could have been easy to write the Swedish youngster off as a joke, but over the past few years he and his Sad Boys crew have cultivated a rabid fan base that spans the globe off the back of Lean’s pop culture filled raps and strange delivery, and his crew’s murky and downtempo production style.
Warlord – a surprise release – is everything you’d expect from a Yung Lean record. Almost entirely produced by Sad Boys Yung Sherman and Yung Gud, the album is full of the usual spooky, hypnotic beats (Eye Contact, Immortal), but also finds Lean experimenting with trap (Shanty You Know What It Do, Highway Patrol) and heavy electronica (Hoover). There’s even a pop song (AF1s), or at least as close to pop as you’ll get from Lean.
The guest spots are kept to a minimum, with Lil Flash (on album highlight Fantasy), Ecco2k (AF1s) and Lean’s good friend Bladee (appearing on the touring tale Highway and drug anthem Hocus Pocus) contributing noteworthy verses, with Lean’s lyrical content focused firmly on early 00s nostalgia and drug culture.
Verdict: He’s not for everyone, but Warlord is another excellent release from Yung Lean.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTD0yiEUl8A]
Image: Consequence of Sound
After announcing that his new album Warlords will be released this week and teasing new tracks through Instagram, everyone’s favourite Swedish sad boy Jonatan Leandoer Håstad, AKA Yung Lean, has now released his second full-length studio album.
The album is 13 tracks long, with each track containing Lean’s signature emotional, cloud rapping, along with hard hitting, dark, wavy beats. The album is well balanced and manages to easily transition between smooth relaxing songs such as Stay Down to the intense and heavy tracks such as Hoover. Featuring production from fellow Sadboys Yung Gud and Yung Sherman as well as Whitearmor, and verses from Bladee, Lil Flash and Ecco2k, it wouldn’t be crazy to say that this is his best project to date.
Despite starting a world tour this March, Australian and New Zealand audiences have already been treated to Lean and his crew during his December – January tour where he played Beyond the Valley, Origin and a number of sideshows all around the country.
Despite Yung Lean tweeting that the album isn’t available until tomorrow, due to time zone differences, we Australians luckily get to listen to the album now instead. Stream on Spotify here, or below:
Read our review of the single track Hoover here
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDiAcqbO0c]
Image: Handsome Tours
The saddest spokesman for millennials the world over, enigmatic 19-year-old Yung Lean is bringing is melancholy hip-hop to Australia for the very first time this New Years. Touching down to perform at Beyond The Valley in VIC and Origin NYE in WA, the Swedish artist will also be performing three highly-anticipated headline shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
In related news, Lean just dropped the intense video for new single Hoover. We think it’s undoubtedly the best track he’s produced thus far. The track has a really slick flow, and the overall feel veers in more of a Das Racist direction than a Lil B one (which is a good thing), and we cannot wait to hear what’s next. Check it out:
It’s also just been announced that UV Boi will be on support duties across Sydney and Melbourne. The Brisbane-born producer’s latest track If She, If He ft. EASTGHOST is still ringing in our ears – so you can guarantee this is pretty great news.
We’re excited to announce that we’re giving away one double pass to see Yung Lean in Sydney on January 2, and one double pass to catch him in Melbourne on January 5 2016.
It’s super easy to enter:
1. Follow Howl & Echoes on Facebook
2. Email info@howlandechoes.com with “YUNG LEAN” in the title, and your name and preferred city in the email.
Note: You must be 18+ to enter.
We’ll draw the winners on Friday December 11 at 3 pm. Winners will be notified via email.
Yung Lean Tour Dates:
January 2: Max Watt’s, Sydney
w/ UV Boi
January 3: The Flying Cock, Brisbane
w/ HOUND (SOLD OUT)
January 5: Prince Ballroom, Melbourne
w/ UV Boi
Yung Lean’s debut on the scene came in 2013, with the almost immediate cult appreciation of his Unknown Death 2002 mixtape, and of course his music videos which followed an ironic depiction of the early naughties aesthetic. Last year saw Lean drop Unknown Memory, an album which though much more serious and hard driven, still threw back to the ‘sadboy’ style which he became known for. Fast forward to now, with the Swedish emcee today releasing the video for Hoover, ahead of his spots at Beyond The Valley and Origin, as well as his debut Australian tour presented by Astral People at the start of next year.
Hoover is straight up the most punk thing Lean has ever done. Tracks from Unknown Memory like Volt drive hard, but the instrumental done by Yung Gud is twisted and driving unlike anything we’ve heard from the Swedish rapper. The most major difference here is his flow, which is fast, punchy, and without any auto-tune, something which became very typical of Lean’s arguable creation of the ‘cloud rap’ genre. Alongside the crackling bass and clanging bells, it is haunting. His lyrics seem to be getting at the excess he’s experiencing as well – “Wake up with some liquor on me/ Wake up with some liquor in me”, with hoover vacuum cleaners just sucking everything up that they can. The clip fits the pace of the track as well, focusing on graveyards, driving and fighting dirtbikes through thich sludge, and cuts back to what we assume is Lean’s neon-lit home studio. It’s one of his more interesting clips, with intriguing slow motion shots of muddy textures and a bleak landscape, rather than the usual vapour-wave and tech stylings we’re used to.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDiAcqbO0c]
Hoover is Yung Lean heading in a new direction. If you follow him on social media you’ll know that he’s often mixing it up pretty hard – just today upping a photo of his hair now neon green, taking on a really dark new look. Whether he stays on this punk style path remains to be seen, he’s the sort of musician that likes to test new waters every once in a while. If you’re feeling like a Sadboy, make sure you get tickets to his shows in early Jan, dates below:
2nd January – Sydney – Maxx Watt’s
3rd January – Brisbane – The Flying Cock (SOLD OUT)
5th January – Melbourne – Prince Bandroom
Also @ Beyond The Valley (Lardner) & Origin New Years Eve (Perth)
Unplug your earphones and turn off your wifi – internet sensation Yung Lean is headed our way. For the first time ever, Australia will be able to experience the rapping internet enigma of Yung Lean in person as he heads around Australia and New Zealand.
For those not aware of Yung Lean’s almost unique accomplishments, settle in. A product of time, Yung Lean was born of, and moulded by the internet. Using Soundcloud as his microphone, he projected his melancholy rap onto the masses. Although the internet is flooded by a never ending stream of aspiring musicians, Yung Lean kept ahead of the game. When he was young, he feasted on 50 Cent and began to immerse himself in American hip-hop from across the globe in Sweden – as only the internet can do. Forming a trio known as the Sad Boys due to their rather depressing lyrics, his music quickly went viral on YouTube. Beginning with Unknown Death 2002, subsequent work is encroaching on the 10 million views mark on YouYTube, quite a mean feat for a man who scrapped his way out of the depths of the internet and emerged an unexperienced, yet immensely talented rapper.
I know what you’re thinking. White rapper. Black culture. Here we go again. But Yung Lean steers away best he can from cultural appropriation, branding himself with an ironic edge that allows him to address his Scandinavian priviledge head on. Bravo, I say.
He’s signed up for the festival season here in Australia, but will be making a few stopovers along the way, if you haven’t signed up for Beyond the Valley or Origin New Years Eve in Perth (which you definitely should).
Festivals:
30th December – Phillip Island – Beyond the Valley Festival
31st December – Perth – Origin New Years Eve
Headline Tour:
2nd January – Sydney – Max Watt’s with special guests Fishing
3rd January – Brisbane – The Flying Cock with special guests TBA
5th January – Melbourne – Prince Bandroom with special guests Fishing
Head to handsometours.com for tickets!