You might recognise YOUTHORACLE from when he was bossing it all over Don’t Flop, or maybe you know him from the half a million views he has on Youtube? If somehow ya don’t know him (get out from under that rock, yeah?), now you need to.
Clocking in at 28 minutes in total, ‘New Clear Power’ is a whirlwind of anger, self-deprecation, confidence and general badassery.
It starts with ‘Placego’, a dizzying mist of video game sounds, as his guttural vocals throw around topics of Nottingham Forest and spinach spilling (yep, couldn’t really read that metaphor). References to Notts are littered throughout like pigeons fill the Market Square, from describing his walk up Mansfield Road to going to Clash Money. It’s clear this city really inspires him, manifesting itself in his music, as well as making us Nottingham folk go like ‘Oh yeah, Mansfield Road is loooooong.’
‘Jordan da Don’ instills the rhythm in your body before it’s even really started, it’s that bloody catchy! His gruff vocals suit this song well, and he even gives his main man, Greg (his manager), a little shout out. It also contains one of my favourite rap related lines; “rapping til there ain’t no paper left”.
Proud of his roots and “not trying to be southern”, ‘TAU’ sees him spit some real fast bars and rhyming crook and fuck like a true East Mids boy would. “Nottingham Shottingham”, this song comes at you like a gunshot, syllables squeezed in wherever possible, almost feeling out of control. Self-confidence oozes out this song, declaring ‘Nottingham needs us’, bringing us into this bubble of confidence before the self-deprecating ‘Smack on a Plastic Spoon’ pops it with a bang. A slower Hip-Hop like jam, sees insecurities and very dark comments thrown about; “luckily I’m too prang to overdose or slice my wrists”. Gravelly vocals and tragic comments clash against the optimistic backing track, but in a pretty ‘I wouldn’t have done that but its pretty cool’ way. Following the idea of trying to burn smack on a plastic spoon (hopeless), ‘Little Man’ sees a continuation of foul language, brutal sounds and dark lyricism.
‘Drops’ drops in (hehe) just after the halfway point bringing the life back, with scatty vocals, drumbeats spilling over everywhere. He manages to rhyme loads of stuff with Ben Stiller too, (well done) before a trail of “SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS” leads us to the home run…
The end of this album is killer. Track 7, ‘Vandualize’ has an intricate swinging drumline that sounds like a rising pulse, a vein in the forehead of someone getting increasingly frustrated, with snatches of screams in the background. Youth remains deeply poetic “Anger analyse, I’m a bastard in disguise.”
‘Pot Noodle Music’ brings you first into a dreamy whispering sax loop, before breaking into it. Though more stately, he throws out a shit-tonne of grotesque food imagery “that’s like putting a McDonalds Burger King and KFC in a blender”. He compares food to music, how people have to consume it but often consume the shit stuff, and what a waste that is; SCORZAYZEE piping up later in the track brings a more Hip-Hop style take on it.
“Peaking” is about struggling; with paying bills, broken appliances, wanting to make your parents proud and with the futility of life. There’s no messing around here, everything he spits is straight to the point, and really hammering home to issues close to many people. ‘Concept’ brings the album to a subdued, come down close, and is exactly the kind of thing you’d probably hear sat on your own at some weird house party at 5am. Against a spacey, trancey background with intermittent bleeping, Youth brings it to an end, words still spilling out of his mouth, still as smooth as all hell.
The album gives listeners a LOT to think about – the shit we consume, the struggles we endure, the futility of life and, maybe most importantly, how much of a pain in the arse it is to walk up Mansfield Road.
Yours in love of new Music,
Alice Robbins x
