Content warning for drug addiction, depressive and suicidal lyrics.
In 2022, the sample drill movement took the Internet by storm. At the center of the genre was New York-based Gen Z rapper-producer collective SURF GANG, which evolved into a producer powerhouse and record label that frequently collaborated with underground rappers such as John Glacier, 454, Matt OX and even MIKE.
Harto Falión is a rapper, singer and alum of the old SURF GANG collective. He also produces under the name Trip Dixon. evilgiane is a prolific and talented producer who started as strictly sample drill before expanding his palette. He made beats for Earl Sweatshirt, xaviersobased, Nettspend, Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem among many, many others.
Together, Falión and giane make a dynamic rapper-producer duo with a lot under their belts, most notably 2023’s cloud rap masterpiece “im_my_best_friend” among other projects. Their new album, “The Hurtless,” released on March 7, and is yet another home run for these two as they continue to develop their style in all sorts of different ways.
The album begins with “Dreams turned Nightmares,” a rather mellow way to kick things off with a quiet synth and percussion that, while abrasive, are mixed down. Lines such as the inspirational first opener, “Live a life that somebody else dreams of” and “If I crash this time, I know it’s my fault” show some emotional maturity from Falión.
“Don’t believe ‘em” takes a note from west coast hip-hop, featuring a heavy bass synth. The lyrics deal with emotional manipulation from a lover with lyrics like “Turn the horrors in my head into a musical” and the extremely blunt chorus that consists of “Quit playing with my heart, it’s fucking up my head.”
“Un Love Able” has a melancholy yet infectious beat with a synth that’s soft on the ears. “Love is just a drug, and we hide and abuse it” shows a lyrical self-awareness, while also highlighting how any addiction can change somebody’s life for the worse. One of my favorite lines — if not the favorite — from this project is “We know the world is fabricated / But that’s why my threads is all authentic.” It both analyzes the digital age and delves into materialism.
“Keep! Out!” sounds like it came from a mysterious Flash game with the lo-fi string-like synth and icy percussion. evilgiane outdid himself with this mesmerizing beat.
“pH,” which stands for “power of hydrogen” — a way to test a fluid’s acidic or alkaline nature — sounds like evilgiane’s own spin on EDM or maybe even digicore.
“An Innermission Conducted by Eli & Giane” doesn’t feature many lyrics but instead features harmonized vocals from Falión and an ambient-feeling spacey synth layer with a heavily textured percussion courtesy of giane.
“i Really don’t give a fuhck” marks a shift in the project’s atmosphere and mood. Falión was already rapping and singing about depressing topics, but it has intensified with this song’s blatant apathy. Lyrics such as “I watch my friends die slowly” show this. The production has an industrial-sounding snare and a retro-sounding synth bassline that makes the beat feel robotic.
“Like Lain,” a reference to the cult classic anime “Serial Experiments Lain” and the Internet-addicted protagonist Lain Iwakura, has a modern and skeletal drum and bass percussion, though it also uses 808s. The highlight of the song is the nerdy lyric “And a ‘Devil May Cry,’ I ain’t playing no games.” The vocals could have been mixed higher. Curation-wise, this song’s vibe would have worked better for the first half of the album.
“Life is Corny” is a mixture of depression, introspection and nerdiness. It’s like a microcosm of Falión’s lyrical tendencies.
Lyrics like the slightly sad pun “Frankly, I just needed space, tonight I’m sleeping on the Moon,” the introspective and depressing “I hate looking at the news, it feels like nothing’s ever new,” the geeky “You better level up, you know my team is OP” and the slightly hedonistic “I don’t do no Percocet, man, that shit boring,” encapsulate Falión’s subject material pretty well.
The piano mixed with the synths on “Different places still feel familiar” feels familiar yet unique. It feels like a modern beat that somebody like cloud rapper Black Kray would have rapped on for one of his more vulnerable and emotional songs.
The lyrics “Wondering how it feels to blow my brains out” and “This world is so cold, I chose the rockiest road,” highlight Falión’s struggles with suicidality and perseverance in life. However, the song ends optimistically, which could be a metaphor for getting his life back together and continuing to move forward despite negative pushback from others.
The last song, “Long story short.” has a grating clarinet-like melody. This song could have been cut from the project or could have been a throwaway single, but it’s still an alright song; just the weakest link. The inspirational monologue at the end about being proactive in changing your life for the better was appreciated and something more people need to hear, though.
Harto Falión and evilgiane have both come a long way. They’re pioneers in their field and I’m so glad they’re getting more recognition. This is my way of giving back to a music collective that was formative for me in high school and showed me that it’s okay to be authentic and not fit in. I am looking forward to their influence on Internet culture and beyond.
Rating: 4/5