Rising star Treflii is the perfect blend of a modern day rockstar. On some tracks he’s able to masterfully combine intensity and energy while still coming off as charismatic and incredibly likeable, while on others he crafts a smooth and laidback feel that’s perfect for any chill playlist. Ranging from sad tracks mourning his lost friends to upbeat and bouncy celebrations of his success, Treflii is always a vibe, and we’ll break down how he’s managed to find this perfect balance on his recent albums here.

After exploring Pareto and his music in an article we wrote back in the spring, we were excited to follow his career and eagerly anticipated new music from the emerging artist. Today, Pareto dropped his debut project “Generation of Desolation”, an emotional and vivid EP that brilliantly showcases everything we’ve seen from the Massachusetts talent…

Vocal layering, also known as vocal stacking, is a technique where the artist has multiple vocal tracks with different tones/styles play at once, so the final result is a much better harmony than any individual track could produce. It’s used in many of the most iconic songs of the past decade, from Kanye and Bon Iver’s ‘Lost In The World’ to Travis Scott’s ‘Butterfly Effect’ - it is typically used to create an atmospheric feel. If you listen to the bridge of ‘Situations’ (3:13 into the track), you’ll hear multiple distinct vocals stacked on top of each other. K!d Hype does this in order to transcend the original boundaries of the track and to draw the listener in by surrounding them with the music. It provides an out-of-body experience that’s beyond just listening to a song, which is what all great music does.

If you tried to build the most well rounded rapper in the game, what would you want? Production in the style of ATL trap greats, lyricism and powerful messages like Kendrick Lamar, smooth and catchy flows like DaBaby, and a diverse range of styles like Thutmose? If that sounds like an ideal artist to you, Southside of Atlanta rapper Jay Activist is exactly what you’re looking for. He first caught our attention with the release of his ‘Activist Wrld’ album, but his breakout track was ‘T.T.M’, a late-2020 single. Both melodic and highly lyrical…

Coming out of Massachusetts with good vibes and a gift for music, Pareto has been consistently dropping excellent singles for the past few years within the indie genre. Starting in 2018 with his debut song “Youth”, Pareto has moved through various styles and quickly developed the powerful vocals seen on many of his songs. His most recent release “Voices” opens with a measured flow that leads perfectly into the smooth chorus that is characteristic of his music. Other tracks like “Take a Minute” capture this same energy, with a hypnotizing beat and lyrics that remind us that life isn’t always a race and to take some time to enjoy it…

With global influences from his current home in Europe to his future in LA, LeJit has managed to craft a perfect sound that blurs the lines between a variety of styles and subgenres. Though he always takes a melodic approach to music, he never lets the lyrics lag behind and consistently delivers well written tracks - he separates himself from other singers and rappers who focus on shallow or empty content through his vulnerable and raw emotion. An example of this is how LeJit conveys the loss and loneliness after a confusing exit to a relationship on my personal favorite track, ‘I Need You’…