After a six and a half year hiatus, one of Scotland’s most acclaimed hip hop acts are back with a huge bang. The world might have changed in dramatic ways since Stanley Odd closed their seminal record A Thing Brand New with a political declaration in the form of ‘Son, I Voted Yes’, but powerful observations on societal issues are still top of the band’s agenda.
Stay Odd sees lead emcee Solareye go further down the rabbit hole, tying together his own experiences alongside political issues like Brexit and how we as human beings respond to propaganda and “project fear”. He does that expertly on opening track FUWSH, which displays the band’s wider musical palette as multi-tracked vocals and garage rock guitars chime over a throbbing bassline, and the psychedelic ‘KILLSWITCH’.
The masterful lyrical content and detailed instrumentals bring the album to life. Tracks like ‘Champion? Sound’, ‘Recycling’ and ‘Where They Lie’ illustrate the band’s ability to explore different moods and tones by utilising Veronika Electronika’s vocals almost as an instrumental in itself. You never anticipate where a track is going to go – all you know is you want to keep listening.
My favourite track of all has to be the laidback and percussive ‘Excited Lives’. It’s a showcase of what Solareye does best: colourful, creative and comical descriptions that nevertheless illuminate key issues. The band’s ability to be profound but remain topical and to the point is somewhat rare. Perhaps lines like “this isn’t trap music” will agitate a few people or feel like a potshot, but it only reinforces the band’s sense of identity.
The track ‘Best Pals’ is as fitting a closer as ‘Son, I Voted Yes’ on their previous effort, as the song crescendos over a melodic and emotive six and a half minutes. Yet, somehow, not a second of it drags. It’s a fitting end to another landmark achievement for Scottish hip hop, an album characterised by attention to detail.
Stay Odd is out now, available with a 56-page companion book. Read our interview with Solareye here.
Sanjeev Mann