Neu The Neu Bulletin (26th June 2014)

Melodic rapping is pretty hot right now, but very few are doing it quite as unique as Kevin Abstract is. The 17-year-old Texas-based rapper is not only unafraid to embrace more adventurous production, but he’s also keeping things remarkably ambitious. ‘Drugs’, the almost 8-minute-long second single from his upcoming ‘MTV 1987’ album, shows off his considerable talents and aspirations over distorted production that slowly transitions to something a lot more pretty. It’s not the most immediate of hip-hop, but here in post-‘Yeezus’ 2014 that sits well. [Joe Price]

For those still mourning the loss of chillwave, it’s nice to see someone carry its deteriorated torch in some regard. Mirror Kisses’ ‘Bleed’ doesn’t follow chillwave’s footprints in the sand, it instead makes its own. The slightly eschewed yet shimmering track sounds as if it has been sat in the sun for far too long. However, It retains its freshness despite its sun-damaged qualities, proving that sometimes the best way to sound new is to repurpose what’s old [Joe Price].