SINGLE REVIEW: ADZii BOii - Pleasure Beach
Anyone who reads my reviews knows I'm not a fan of hip-hop, however I occasionally like to challenge myself to review something way outside my comfort zone.
The new single 'Pleasure Beach' from Scotland's ADZii BOii couldn't be further from my usual listening remit.
Let's start by saying as much as I'm a lyrics kinda girl, I have to not listen too deeply to the words on ‘Pleasure Beach’. It's a bit raunchy and absolutely not my vibe. In fact, I'll be honest, lines like "I'm the Drummer and I'll bang on the ass' made me feel rather uncomfortable. These are the stereotypes of hip-hop that stop it from being accessible to a wider audience.
Subject matter aside vocally and musically, 'Pleasure Beach', is pretty good. ADZii BOii has an endearing voice, I really enjoyed how prominent his Scottish accent is, making the track feel completely authentic, not trying to sound a certain way and compromise verisimilitude. His style of rap is quite soft, with even more aggressive themes being delivered in a more gentle tone.
I like how 'Pleasure Beach' combines synths with majestic strings to provide a captivating velvety soundscape. It's a fairly simple yet highly effective backdrop.
To summarise I think ADZii BOii is a genuine talent who is sincere in his performance but not so much in his words. I think if he were to channel his talents into creating music about the things that truly matter to him, not the generic drivel about "bitches" and shagging he could go far.
