mitsu & remi vernon - highway pacific

this album sounds like an afternoon of reminiscing, cruising down a salty coast

a large reason for this is due to Remi’s beats—which offers a steady yet powerful calm. like, picture a gangster sipping a mojito at the beach. stand-out swinging keys, watery samples, some flickers of soul. I’d call it something like “tropical mafia.” this sound is consistent throughout, creating a pretty encompassing 22 minute soundscape.

mitsu makes up the other and stand-out half of this sound, surfing flawlessly over the production. His writing offers various lifestyle mantras and affirmations, covering topics from the past, present, and hopeful future. The delivery is primarily cool-calm-and-collected with sprinkles of humor throughout.

all-together, i think this is an awesome break-out project! Usually underground hip-hop debuts are riddled with fluff, but this one’s cut tight for a nice-cohesive listen. Not so coincidentally, my only gripe also lives within this sentiment—where too much cohesion can make it feel too safe at times. “nightshift” stands out because you can hear both parties step out of their usual pockets. “Solstice” by comparison can drag due to its easy listening amidst others—which is roughhhh because there’s there’s a glimmer at the 2:18 mark before it’s cut short.

excited for the next one :)