Styles: Crushed Trap, Cloud Rap, Emo Rap | US
Comprised of Psythoness and Y2Kri$i$, $pirit Gurlz were a defining duo of the burgeoning Crushed Trap sound in the transition to the 2020s. 12:12 is named after its length, with the release being a slightly different speed on each streaming service. I listened to it on YouTube Music but it doesn't make much of a difference.
Catscan is a cute opener, defined by a repeating MIDI-esque melody and punchy bass. Most of the songs are either Psy or Y2K rapping, only once both rapping on the same song. It's a shame as I think having them trade verses more often would've made it a more dynamic listen. If I had to choose, at least on this tape, I'd go with Psythoness.
Lyrically it's surprisingly quite well-written, mostly displaying thoughts of alienation and grief but delivered in a vague way. There's a sort of detachment described that I wish more underground rappers touched on.
They try to sing a little on some songs which doesn't really work and sounds a bit silly with the compressed vocals. Production-wise it's good, at times almost sounding like Tread but always covered in a comfortable layer of bitcrushing. An issue though is how the vocals and beat sometimes bleed together because of how similarly mixed they are, which could lead to a more ethereal feel but in practice makes it harder to appreciate the elements on their own. It often feels a bit half-baked, like the audio effects are just a cover-up for average songwriting.
This is a significant tape and does show some potential, but the execution weighs it down a lot. Their other releases from this period are of a similar quality and sound, so if you like this then check them out too.
6/10
See also: Psythoness, Y2Kri$i$, 999 Heartake Sabileye
- kreyzi
YonDivi's rating: 9
stillbeaches' rating: 5
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