- The rising New York artist tells a funny, vulnerable story about the ups-and-downs of a relationship over creative club beats.
- Tama Gucci has love on the brain, and his romantic life is turbulent. While past releases could sound low-key, like passages plucked from a diary, the New York artist is more extroverted on this new Almost Blue EP. He amps his pop tunes up with electronic influences from club, techno, dub and his hometown's endemic Miami bass. This time around, he dresses his bittersweet feelings up in iridescent rave wear.
"Put It In Drive" is just the right vibe to start Almost Blue: optimistic and a little sassy. Tama Gucci sings about getting dressed up and stoned before a joyride with a boy, but he's playing a little hard to get—"I'll be out in five, baby, wait for me." Metallic beats and snares glide, capturing the giddy anticipation of those first few dates. The daydream comes crashing down on "2 Wrongs Don't Make It Right." Warping breakbeats and a delicate harp sample make his jilted lover's story as heart-rending and disappointing as a text message breakup. This hot and cold style is Almost Blue's greatest asset, with lyrics as unpredictable as the inventive sounds around them.
Tama Gucci has a sexy, club-ready moment on "Challenge," with its scrappy breakbeats and flirty charisma, while the violin on the tender "Sweater" is a welcome surprise. And the campy sincerity of "Bedroom" makes for a major highlight: over dubbed-out pads, Tama Gucci sings an ode to makeup sex. You can envision Philips Hue lights dappling the bed in various shades of pink, red and purple. And behind his earnest crooning? Cartoony moans and twirling Miami bass. This is a blend of sounds that probably shouldn't work, yet somehow Tama Gucci wrangles these parts into a moment loaded with humor and soul. Almost Blue is proof that he's got plenty of both.
Tracklist01. Put It In Drive
02. 2 Wrongs Don't Make It Right
03. Bedroom
04. Challenge
05. Sweater
06. Show Me
07. Panties