EP Review: Young And Slept On

Y$O. Note that down. Remember it.

On the final release from one of New Zealand’s most exciting collective, the sheer vision and passion put towards every second of this release should not be dismissed. Music is something that can be consumed as just background music or as something you give your attention to. Since attention is the most important thing we have as human beings (I won’t start that conversation here), there is a real benefit in putting it all to certain things. So grab some headphones, good ones, find somewhere to chillax and listen to this EP.

Firstly, I want to give a special mention to the mix here. It is out of this world fantastic. I would even go as far as saying that it felt spatial. I wasn’t using spatial audio technology, but it felt like the sound was coming everywhere, especially from the interlude Theft. And even then, all the tracks have an aura about them.

A few of these tracks have been released previously (Candy, MIA) but even then, they still sound great and work so well.

Another important mention is the delivery from everyone here. Y$O do not mess around. They are confident and know how to also never take themselves too seriously. It makes for an enjoyable listening experience.

Overall, this is one of the finest hip-hop releases I heard this year and continues to show how talented this group is, and collectively, how incredible NZ Hip-Hop is. Every track here is a stand out track, even the little interludes.

Fantastic stuff from a group that you need to note down and remember.