Photo: Mark Maryanovich
Melodic rap/nu-pop duo ET Boys unveils their brand-new EP, PAOPU, via Wake Up! Music, Pepper Gomez’s ascendant label.
With two number ones on DRT’s chart, millions of streams on Spotify, and beaucoup views on YouTube, it may well be asked how, from so many artists and musicians within the music industry, one can isolate a specific duo and identify them as extraordinary.
While conceding to a certain degree of impulsiveness, the author can in good conscience cite the criteria that establish ET Boys as superlative and musical prodigies.
First, the ET Boys are typified by grandeur. Consider their discography, ranging from their debut single, “Sober,” to their debut album, Forever Night, to collaborations with other artists, such as “Time’s Up,” with Heroes and Villains.
Second, they are constructive geniuses, driven by inner emotions and a fine ear for melody. Third, they are simultaneously striking and mysterious. Tacboy’s sex appeal and seductive vocals provide an aura of splendor while Sharkeyes’ masked visage conceals him in an atmosphere of enigma.
Fourth, and ample in itself, their sound – riffs, rhythm, harmony, chords, melody, composition, and instruments – Is magically balanced and engaging.
PAOPU comprises six tracks, of which from a purely subjective perspective, entry points include all six. For some reason, “Lame Shit Cool” conjures up a retro, Beach Boys-like sensation with its hints of surf-pop and swaying vocals. The darkly sensuous “Tonight,” with its slow, trap-like beat and Tacboy’s voluptuous vocals, like erogenous sighs, is one of a few personal favorites on the EP.
The creamy, slightly off-kilter rhythm of “Young Drake” merges tints of pop, very nearly dream-pop, and hip-hop into a tune dripping with polished chromatic colors. Whereas the delicate “Meadow,” floats, glides, and sparkles with pastel-like coruscations topped by Tacboy’s evocative tones.
“Until Forever” features low-slung, psychedelic flavors, shimmering and cinematic, all drenched in swirling reverb with Tacboy’s echoing, dreamy vocals imbuing the lyrics with soft, silky textures. “Closure,” with its upbeat mood, brims with heady textures and gang-like vocals, giving the song a pop-banger edge.
At times freewheeling, at other times ethereal, with PAOPU, ET Boys explore a panoply of sonic aspects, always tantalizingly superb.
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