‘What’s Done in the Dark’ sees Feux broadening his sonic landscape, taking influence from the cold and stony streets of Glasgow, whilst projecting his emotions through bilingual soliloquies.
Feux’s sincere, self-reflective bars have made waves in the U.K. hiphop scene, warranting music videos on prestigious underground platforms like Loudhouse. ‘Life?’, a contagious lo-fi boom-bap banger, grabbed our attention at the latter end of 2019, and we’ve been craving a full project ever since.
Although the single doesn’t feature on ‘What’s Done In The Dark’, we have 5 tracks that complete a coherent and conscious project. ‘Noise Complaints’ starts with a sample of the rapper getting a bollucking in a lecture for having his headphones on. A problem I’m sure many of us have been met with at uni. The irony of the sample is, with Covid-19 eliminating all exams in Scotland, he could have probably kept those headphones in.
The production on 'Noise Complaints' locks you into a daydream, and the calming guitar licks diffuse in and out of the melody in a sumptuous manner. You barely even notice your ascendence into ‘King Crab’, which is slightly more upbeat in tone. The track explores themes of loyalty in its early stages, but quickly switches to a staccato, fiery flow with braggadocios lyricism.
Incorporating whirring, Tyler, The Creator-esque synths on ‘Astral Reject’ maintains the EP’s mellow vibe. Lyrically, Feux appears optimistic about the future ahead, but equally acknowledges that it might take time to reinvent himself, given previous issues. With its delicate harmonies and lyrical narratives, the EP is evidently a very personal project to the artist.
‘Sans Raison’ was the lead single from ‘What’s Done In The Dark’, and you can see why. Its nebulous nature is incredibly hypnotic, and the bilingual features, from Nega Bedo and Lechani, are meticulous. The French accent works perfect on the hazy production.
The EP finisher, 'Wtf Freestyle', exonerates Feux's versatility. Through a contrastingly visceral delivery, compared to his temperament on the other tracks, the rapper asserts his lyrical dexterity and ability to switch tone. Its an abrupt ending to the project, but it cleverly leaves you wanting more from the artist. If Feux can internalise the cohesiveness of ‘What’s Done In The Dark’ for a full-length mixtape or album, then he could be on to something pretty mega.
RATING: 8.7/10