Description
If there’s one word you could use to describe the “Westender” EP, it’s experimentation. The six-track offering features Faroese rapper Marius DC flexing his creative muscle in a variety of genres, and on nearly every occasion, succeeding.
The stylistic shift is clear from the second you press play, as the opening track “Back Like I Ain’t Left”is one of two songs falling under the Drill genre, a Chicago-born style of rap that’s been sweeping the world in recent years, with rappers like Pop Smoke and Headie One leading the wave. It doesn’t feel like a huge leap though, Marius sounds at home over the bouncy rhythms of Drill as he does on the more typical Trap song, “FMA Sh*t”.
As the track list progresses we see more experimentation, from the stand-out “Gasoline”, a West-Coast influenced banger that served as the lead single for the EP, to the innovative “Respekt”, a first-of-it’s kind Faroese Drill song, with Marius rapping in his native tongue and sounding about as convincing as he ever has.
The most recognizably MZA-esque cut is undeniably “Big Things”, a sprawling, bassy bar-fest featuring flurries of punchlines, “Dissing on me, you’ll get banned or snatched, like Black Mirror” it’s textbook DC, right down to the sliding 808 bass that kicks in on the second chorus.
The closing track, “Teenage Drama”is by a mile the most unique track, featuring Marius crooning his way through a quintessential emo-rap ballad, singing about lost love and teenage angst. The ambitiously heavy outro, featuring a guitar solo by Benjamin Petersen (better known as Son Of Fortune), is a rare example of DC stepping out of his genre entirely, and it passes with flying colors.
Marius DC’s quick rise in the Faroese music scene might have garnered some flack, with many questioning whether or not the breakout success of “The MZA EP” was a fluke. But with “Westender”the young MC sounds more confident, polished and unique than ever.If you have your eyes on the future of international hip-hop, it’s a must listen.
Released on the following formats:
Digitally on all major platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.). You can check it out on the player below.
