ALBUM REVIEW: SIME GEZUS’ LOONATIC MON$TER
“Strife, conflict and struggle seem to be the themes interwoven with the underscore of serenity. Those two elements alone were more than enough to keep me hooked, but Sime Gezus’ lyrical evolution from the beginning of the track through the abrupt end had me absolutely mesmerized.”
LOONATIC MON$TER opens up with a scene from Godfather 2 where Fredo is pleading with his “kid brother” Michael to show him some respect. Being that the character of Fredo is not only ill-fated, but the actor who portrayed him, as well, I couldn’t help but wonder if this intro was being used to introduce themes of the EP, or if it was being used simply because of its cinematic power.
As soon as the first lyrics are heard – “I heard what you say, no you’re not slick. Narcissist. Toxic. Insecure simp. Paranoid wimp.” – it became pretty clear that it was very intentionally setting up a theme of betrayal, possibly even with a former confidant.
The lyrics felt like a sharp contrast to the beat on the opening track. If it were an instrumental, I would picture a calm scene. Lightly bobbing my head to the groove without a care in the world. Paying attention to the lyrics painted a much different picture. Strife, conflict and struggle seemed to be the themes interwoven with the underscore of serenity. Those two elements alone were more than enough to keep me hooked, but Sime Gezus’ lyrical evolution from the beginning of the track through the abrupt end had me absolutely mesmerized.
While listening to the EP, I noticed that the producer of each track was listed in the title, which is not something I normally see. There is a different producer on every track of this 8 song EP, including one produced by Sime Gezus himself. Upon seeing that, I made sure to pay extra attention to the production on each track to see if there was a noticeable difference in Sime Gezus’ approach depending on who was producing. While the differences were very subtle, I found that Sime Gezus’ approach to the songs did in fact vary with each track, while keeping his identity and originality intact.
This EP is short on featured vocalists, mostly because Sime Gezus has zero trouble holding it down on his own, but one stand out track, “Ain’t Around To See It”, features 518 phenom B. Austin. The track is very clearly of a serious nature, as evidenced by the opening sample that is retelling a story of a funeral, with talks of “standing around her grave with big black umbrellas.”
The subject matter is not only somber, but this was the first track that I felt the mood of the beat was also impactful in painting the seriousness of the mood.
After another cinematic interlude, the mood takes a much different turn with the sexually charged “Tatted Up Gym Shorty”, and then right into serious social issues with “Anything You Want.”
Running the gamut between serious topics and subjects of leisure, LOONATIC MON$TER has something for everyone. I just dare you to not nod your head to every song on this razor-sharp EP.
LOONATIC MON$TER is out now and available wherever you stream music.