Blinking Elemers: K. Flay’s EYES SHUT EP

First of all, if you haven’t listened to K. Flay’s last EP, I Stopped Caring in ’96, you should go download it right away. ’96 is an existential look at life, purpose and the search for love, like a more personable Man on the Moon 1. In fact, ’96 looked at life so thoroughly, I really wasn’t sure K would have much more to say on her new Eyes Shut EP.

Boy was I wrong. Eyes Shut is another terrific look at the everyday through the eyes of a borderline burnout frustrated with the world around her. Where ’96 dealt with coping and nostalgia, Eyes Shut focuses more on feelings of anger (on a track like We Hate Everyone) and social stigmas (10^th Ave). What the EP lacks in length is made up for with bold sound. K makes progressions on the trip-hop sounds she has mastered in the past and takes steps into guitar heavy anthems and dub-step jams. And she succeeds. By expanding her music sonically, K is able to examine a wider range of themes and emotions.  

I don’t mean to lay on another comparison to KiD CuDi, but it is hard not to. Eyes Shut is the type of ambitious hip-hop that a lot of people expected CuDi to be making in 2012. But there is a divide between K and CuDi; K. Flay is undeniably a rapper. That’s not a slant on CuDi, but it is apparent that he is moving his music in a direction beyond rap, whereas K. Flay spits viciously on every track. Although K is not afraid to sing and bear her soul it is her flow that really catches ears. While Nicki Minaj is rapping things like, “Stupid Hoe/You a, you a stupid hoe”, K provides deep, introspective lyrics. I would quote one of those lyrics here, but you really just need to hear one of her songs to get a sense of her thoughtfulness.

Eyes Shut is a successful follow-up to ’96. K. Flay is a rapper to watch in the next few years, pushing the boundaries of trip-hop without losing any of the meaning.

Top Track: Stop, Focus

Download:http://eyesshut.kflay.com/