EP Reviews: New Stuff Part 2 With Drab Majesty, Spirit Of The Beehive, and Smoke DZA & Flying Lotus

Earlier this month I dropped part 1 of this series and promised another, here it is. Sorry it took two weeks, I'm moving. Enjoy <3

An Object In Motion EP - Drab Majesty

Drab Majesty is a California music project who have been carrying the torch for some distinctly 80s styles of darkwave and goth rock with a handful of shoegazey elements occasionally mixed in. Despite having a lot of affinity for the eras of music that the band pulls from, I've always thought they were just okay. That once again comes through on this project despite the attention-grabbing appearance of Slowdive's own Rachel Goswell. To be fair, the opening track that she participated in is the highlight of the project with it's most impressive vocals and instrumental palette. In comparison, Cape Perpetua is an instrumental cut that spends almost its entire runtime sounding like it's waiting to start without ever really doing so. It kind of sounds like the first 5 minutes of a really forgettable 15-minute post-rock track. Across the final two tracks the EP just starts to get too long for its own good. The Skin And The Glove is a dreamy shoegaze cut that I could see some George Clanton fans vibing with but it just goes on for WAY too long without serving up anything all that interesting. Closing track Yield To Force is basically like Cape times 3 almost all of the same stuff applies except it lasts for half of the entire EP. A lot of my similar complaints with Drab Majesty in the past also show up on this EP. Despite fleeting moments of interest for the most part this one isn't winning me over. 5/10

i'm so lucky EP - Spirit Of The Beehive

After being one of those bubbling under bands I heard about in passing for years, Spirit Of The Beehive officially became impossible to ignore in 2021 with their album ENTERTAINMENT,  DEATH. While I liked the album I wasn't quite as head over heels for it as some. Since then as I understand it, things have been a bit turbulent for the band. That angst definitely seeps into this project which continues the band's trend of wildly unpredictable sonic experiences throughout a project. The EP starts off just okay with human debenture. It's a short indie rock cut that begins very spacey before erupting into some shouted vocals in the second half. I like it but it feels a bit incomplete. The closing track natural devotion 2 is easily my least favorite with these weird squelching synths early on in the song that are very weird and out of place. There's also a synth lead later on the track that sounds like the item box jingle from Mario Kart but like not in a good way and the vocals over it are extremely awkward.

I liked tapeworm a good bit when it dropped as a single and I still enjoy it a lot. It combines this dreamy atmosphere with these ripping distorted guitars and throat-shredding vocals. I love the moment in the middle where the song drops out completely and gets replaced by this raw breathing it's a pretty visceral listen. My favorite song on the EP turned out to be really happening. It once again has a dreamy atmosphere supplemented with this clacky percussion and more subtle instrumentation that I like a lot. There's a touch of these surreal little vocal snippets that also really add to the vibe of the song. I love both vocalists on the track too they manage to blend together really nicely. This is a blend into both dreamy space and distorted intensity, often presented mere seconds apart. Though this is a shorter set of tracks, I do think it's a more consistent project than their last studio album as well as one whose high points are even higher. The band's ambition and songwriting has always been there but this EP represents a huge step in them finding a sonic palette that really works for me. 7.5/10

Flying Objects EP - Smoke DZA & Flying Lotus

Smoke DZA released approximately 100 new albums every year. His prolific streak dating back to 2019 is far more than I can reasonably keep up with but I do try to tap in every once in a while. I was surprised to enjoy a collaborative album he made alongside Girl Talk, Big KRIT, and Wiz Khalifa last year and so I figured this feature-laced collection of FlyLo-produced songs was well worth tapping into. There's three songs on the EP where DZA serves as the sole MC starting with the opener Spiritual. The track is okay, mostly I think the way the hook kind of fails to separate itself from the verses beyond having some of the silliest lyrics makes it feel longer than it needs to. The short interlude Zelle Transfers is solid even if the lyrical subject matter is exceedingly generic it has some fun rattling drums and catchy flows. Harlem World 97 has one of the dancier more old-school FlyLo instrumentals on the record and generally I think the vibes are solid. DZA brings a bouncier flow with him and Estelle handles the hook. While neither are a perfect fit for this they both at least have the right idea. 

Painted Houses has one of my favorite instrumentals here with these very eerie haunted house vibes in the disjointed keys. Conway The Machine handles the middle of the track and unsurprisingly he does a great job. The other track is Drug Trade which features Black Thought and has a jazzy beat that you could easily slide right into either of his great previous two albums. This is probably the best performance DZA gives on the project and he saves it for an absolutely perfect time. As you'd expect given his ridiculous recent run, Black Thought totally kills his verse even if there is a silly bar or two mixed in. This project isn't perfect but it has moments that show off the best of both DZA and Flying Lotus. My biggest complaint about the project is probably that DZA gets out-rapped by both of his fellow rapper features. Even with that, I enjoy the project more than I anticipated and I think DZA and FlyLo make for a more versatile combination than I would have guessed. They find the right ways to compliment each other throughout and the results are pretty good. 7/10