Scarlxrd dropped a new EP this July, and it's his most mature, most emotionally complex work to this date. "Penance" is a mixture of Scarlxrd's signature trap metal sound combined with melodic motifs and a nod to his old band, Myth City.
Marius Listhrop, known professionally as Scarlxrd, started his career as a YouTuber but quickly switched to music, co-founding the band Myth City in 2014 and performing with them up until 2016 when he started his solo career under the name Scarlxrd. He is known as one of the early pioneers of trap metal and has been extremely prolific, releasing 16 studio albums and multiple EPs and singles in the span of 10 years. His most recent release, "Penance," is a beautiful showcase of his development as an artist while also keeping him grounded in his roots.
Penance starts with the track "Firefly", which is a testament to Scarlxrd's vocal range and abilities and his evolution as an artist. The song speaks of perseverance in the face of hardships, and navigating an industry fraught with battles to be fought. It's kind of reminiscent of 2000's rock, but with an extremely modern twist in sound design and production.
The second track is "save yxurself", which is my second favorite track on the EP. It follows the same theme as the first track production-wise, but the lyrics slightly shifts into an inspirational tone while staying realistic, almost stoic: "Save yourself/Love won't help you/Hate just brings you hell/You suffer inside/Purgatory mind/Now shut up and suffer in silence." Coming from a person defined by workaholism and compulsive success, it really makes you rethink your perspective on life and on pain and suffering.
The next track on the EP is my number one favorite: "Lxst Memxry." The production gives Deftones vibes but with added grit and aggression, and the vocal style contributes heavily to that. The lyrics becomes fully inspirational and the song includes a verse that is like a mixture of rapping and spoken word. One thing that is fascinating in Scarlxrd's works is how he plays around with song structures instead of just sticking to the verse-chorus format most people use all the time.
Track four is a complete gear shift. Like its name, "War 2", it's a full-on split from the previous 3 tracks: 5 minutes of pretty-much-pure grindcore mixed with rapping that is meant to make you absolutely uncomfortable, and Scarlxrd's definitely good at achieving what he aims for. The whole song is like an utter war cry, both sonically and lyrically.
The closing track, "Fight the Feeling" brings in influences from all the other tracks on the EP and fuses them, plus a tiny splash of metalcore in the production. It's short, effective and decisive. A glue that ties all the previous tracks on the EP together.
In short, "Penance" is a fascinating ride of an EP, and I resonated with it in ways that I hadn't resonated with someone's music like that in a long time. I invite you to listen to this beautiful, inspiring collection on Spotify or your preferred music platform.
Listen to Penance on Spotify!
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