EP Review: LIVE FAST DIE WHENEVER
Continuing the theme of $uicideboy$, before I get back into the KILL YOURSELF mixtapes/EPs, I wanted to take a look at a different, pioneering work that the boys did with guest artist Travis Barker. You might recognize this guy by his work in rock and punk as a drummer, most notably a member of a slightly popular band called Blink-182.
This probably was the first time I had heard such heavy punk influences in the rap genre, until I stumbled upon the group CITY MORGUE later on. One of the tracks, “Aliens Are Ghosts” had directly contributed to my early liking of rap, in early 2018 and beyond. The end result of the music created for this EP was a very dark, edgy and wildly energetic mix, thanks to the general themes that $uicideboy$ tends to bring to the table (addiction, depression, distaste for the public, acts of defiance), most of which pair perfectly with the often chaotic, antagonistic themes and moods encountered in punk.
The songs “Killing 2 Birds with 22 Stones”, “DON’T TRUST ANYONE”, “Individuality Was So Last Year”, and “nothingleftnothingleft” allow us to see the talent that Ruby and $crim have, under the alias’ Norman Atomic and Anthony Mars, respectively.
Particularly, “DON’T TRUST ANYONE” is impressive, a range of vocals done by the pair alike, and during $crim’s verse, he literally switches his lyrical style between the bars, an artistic move that brilliantly subtly reveals some instability that comes with being bipolar.
”nothingleftnothingleft” is also a very good song, so different and chaotic compared to a lot of their other musical projects, pretty much the entire song is straight screaming. It’s highly electric and volatile. The guitar riffs in it are shrill, lightning, radical. I literally can’t not headbang to this song, every time.
”Aliens are Ghosts” is an awesome track, the sample is hilarious. It’s Anthony Fantano, a popular YouTube music critic by the name of theneedledrop, giving his take on the album I WANT TO DIE IN NEW ORLEANS (another almost flawless album, in my opinion.) “Parsed out on this rippity-dippity-rippity-dippity-rippity-dippity triplet flows.” Ruby’s verse on this one is very relatable, with themes of indifference, riding the waves, and distaste for inter-personal interactions. Delivered with swagger, it doesn’t disappoint, and that combined with the sample makes the song for me, not even to speak of $crim’s incredible verse.
This album, in my eyes, deserves a very strong 9, 9.5/10. Absolutely astounding.
As always, thank you for reading, have a wonderful day.
If you’d like to, check in on Mondays at 9:30-10 PM to tune into my show, Untitled 01, where I periodically play some semi-decent music like this album, similar rap music, and a random assortment of indie rock, pop, and more!