Well, it seems like rap is finally emerging from its shell of triplet flows and painfully clicky hi-hats to form something like an amalgam of the future and the past. That’s an interesting way to go and combining the more laid-back and introspective delivery of past rap eras with the cutting-edge sounds of today sounds rather compelling. It’s safe to say that Siliguri’s Subham Verma (Drastic is his artist name, obviously) goes down this path for a reason on his strong debut EP ‘Drastic Darkness Death’.

Introspection is very much the name of the game here, with Subham seemingly dealing with his own thoughts on mortality, morality and his life so far. The six tracks are also short and feature truly good production. The samples are all relatively low-key and relaxed; the saxophone line in ‘SAZAA’ is especially wonderful. The drums are also muted and rounded which go really well with the very cool and calm tempos Drastic raps over. His lyrical content goes from something as simple as describing his life to his thoughts about death and religion and family, so in this context, his storytelling is nice to listen to in a world where bragging and talking your shit is a preferred method of expression. ‘AFWAA’ features a short freestyle over some warm keys and is a highlight. So is ‘BIDHYA’ with its heartfelt delivery and electric piano sounds. It all comes together really well here on ‘Drastic Darkness Death’. Drastic does not dilute his themes with flashy instrumentals or disrupt his train of thought. It ends up being a lovely listen simply because it doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. The tracks are also almost all quite short (except for the jagged and relatively aggressive closer ‘PYARA MAUT’) so there is no question of anything overstaying its welcome. This EP is sixteen minutes you shouldn’t miss out on.

Listen to 'Drastic Darkness Death'.