Universally renowned lofi-hip-hop heavyweight record company United Common Records undergoes an equally rewarding and graceful endeavor on their latest label-wide effort, SoCal Sessions. Fueled by the efforts of various cornerstone artist of the lofi-hip-hop world (i.e. Jinsang, Kudasaibeats, & postu) alongside upcoming, equally and exciting talented faces in the scene (i.e. tysu, Eiiwun., & aqualina) United Common Records has managed to bridge together the upper echelon of SoCal based lofi-hip-hop into one astoundingly ambitious full-length record.
Starting the record off with the track One More Time, Eiiwun. cautiously reels in the audience with a shepherd tone-infused introduction, and pulls out all the stops as the full instrumentation makes it's debut. Firing on all cylinders, Eiiwun.'s trademark flair sets the standard and leads the mantra of the abilities of the remaining members for the duration of the record. High-energy sample work alongside a knocking drumbeat makes for a very fitting introduction into such a highly influential album.
Somewhat deeper into the tracklist, Kudasaibeats and Jinsang take the reigns for their collaborative effort, "Boardwalk". Utilizing the abilities of both artists, an expertly crafted drumbeat takes control of the forefront of the track after an instrumental intro sequence. Combined with a backing synthesizer, the guitar and harp mitigate the forefront in a beautiful coalition of melodies and rhythms, almost acting as two voices in a call in response during the "chorus" section of the song. As a more subdued bridge at the halfway point holds the attention of the listener, a reverberated drumbreak begins to soak into the mix. As the main theme returns, it's unbridled ability to keep the listener's head bobbing is an astounding chip off of the collaborative block. Unmatched in compositional skill, Boardwalk is not only a great song, but a quintessential piece of art in the greater overarching subcultures of lofi-hip-hop and chillhop. Likewise can easily be said about the rest of the album as well. Fun, laid back, and easy to digest, United Common Records' SoCal Sessions is a staple for 2020 music.
YouTube Premiere: youtu.be/9h06pkWGQm8
