Dropping a surprise EP out of the blue, the Indonesian rapper Rich Brian returns with four concise and impressive tracks, with no mention of a fourth coming album. Still a youthful figure at 22 years, maturity is starting to show in his lyrics but more obvious is his flow. Tightening up the bars, increases the pace of his cadence, Brian commands these cuts on his own with one feature, Warren Hue, on Getcho Mans. Its a banging off kilt number led by a dirty baseline and oriental overtone. To me, Brian shows his inspirations a little candidly with his second verse. The delivery style gives me some serious Lil Uzi Vert vibes, particularly from the opening stretch of Eternal Atake.
With that one distinction, the rest of the music stands on its own. The opening New Tooth, a fantastic union of beat production and lyrical direction. Brian moves from fiery Braggadocio raps into a more reflective stance over the two beat switches. It takes the music to an emotive conclusion with its introspective pianos. Lagoon and Sunny split that direction apart further, the first a gritty brooding number muddying in darker spaces. The latter bolsters uplifting moods with motivational words. Brightside is promising set of songs for an artist who sounds like they are in a great creative space.
Rating: 4/10