- Sincere and honest verses from a promising vocalist and producer, with assistance from Livity Sound affiliate Eusebeia.
- Since moving to Bristol, Birthmark has had a creative awakening. This year, he produced eerie soundscapes for queer punk poet 1990s Chris. In 2020, he featured on Young Echo member ManonMars' In Colour album. And he's a founding member of local label Cold Light, which featured his debut single "Haunted" on one of their compilations in 2019. Lamentations (also out on Cold Light) is his debut EP, with hints of Spectre illbient, crunchy O$VMV$M dub and Goblin-era Tyler, The Creator. But where the Californian rapper hid his vulnerabilities behind theatrics and shock-rap profanities, Birthmark shines for the opposite reasons. On lead track "Thorns On A Rose," produced by Eusebeia, he simply tells us about himself.
He's a music fan who loves everything from '90s techno to J-pop (the song "MHRKSH" on the EP is an abbreviation of Japanese popstar Miharu Koshi). "There are a couple records that I know / and then loads of others that I don't," he raps. The self-deprecation at the end is charming both by its inclusion and its wordiness, deliberately dragging out the line. His lyrics tend to ebb and flow on and off beat, putting his music somewhere between spoken word and rap. Although the verse-chorus structure of "Thorns On A Rose" is the EP's most conventional, Birthmark's frank and modest tone keeps it unique. A Star Wars reference at the end of one line downplays his past difficulties, while the imagery of his box room in a flat and finding comfort in nightlife is instantly relatable. It's how easily Birthmark connects with his audience that makes him such a singular lyricist.