Its true the last eighteen months or so has seem like a lifetime to many of us and so for The Local Healers (Nay Loco & Ty Healy) and Louis Cypher to bring us The Long Year, kinda fits so well with the way things have been. These guys have worked together before on a few projects and to bring us this EP the Notts legends have teamed up with none other than that man from Exeter Pandamonium, who has obviously not been resting on his laurels recently…
So, I’m not gonna speculate what we might expect from the next six tracks, plus one bonus, I’m simply gonna get right into it, so here goes…
The Intro has a nice soulful vibe that comes from the drums and piano and is enhanced by the vocal samples and, as it is with most intro’s, this is just giving us a hint, kinda dangling the carrot in front of us for what is about to drop so, if you thought that soulful vibe was gonna continue, you sadly mistaken, because what hits is a jazzy, funk fuelled mix of keyboards, horns and drums. Wu Saa takes the vibe of Busta’s ‘Woo Hah’ and gives it a UK makeover. With the guys dropping bars about life, Hip Hop, their influences and more, this is kinda vibe that gets you bouncing and nodding along, while you’re driving, eating or whatever you’re doing. The drums and strings of 10 Macs brings a thoughtful or reflective kinda feel and if the number ten is your thing than this track is for you. This is all about things in groups of ten. Although it might have that reflective air about it, this shows what you can do in dropping line after line with one common theme and make it bang…
Moving into the second half of the EP we find the focus shifting. Bass, guitars and sparce drums brings a futuristic feel to proceedings, the perfect backdrop for Westworld. There is that air of a dystopian future where things are not all they seem. You get visions of the 1973 movie and the more recent Amazon prime series reboot but, is this all just inspired by those stories or is there some aspect of this that is not a million miles away from what we a currently experiencing? Next, we move into the EP’s title track, Long Year has a soulful vibe provided by the backdrop of drums, vocal samples, and orchestral notes. There is also this reflective aspect to it as the track focuses on the struggles and stresses that we have all encountered over this last year or so. Two years have appeared to morph into one over an extended period where fear and the pain of separation and those lost has been most dominant but, there is still hope and we need to use the strength that we have found inside to bring it to us. The EP shifts focus once more from that slightly darker edge to one that is upbeat and takes us out on a high. Drums, guitars, and xylophone notes are the catalyst to get us moving. Here it is all about dropping those bars to get the people hyped up, rep where you’re from and get that feel good vibe flowing. So, get up and throw ya hands up, Ya Get Me…
The guys aren’t finished yet as its time to bring in a chilled vibe of Keyboards, guitar, and drums as we get a bonus of The Local Healers and Louis Cypher’s segment from the Drop Bar Cypher that was dropped by Dizzy Dustin and Pandamonium, what could be better as a bonus right…
Overall, there is such a great mix of vibes going on throughout this EP. We kick off and end on some high’s that really have that feel good and club banger style feel, while in the middle we get this slightly more serious deeper vibe that gets your mind working. It really reflects the vibe of this long year we’ve had perfectly.
Pandamonium’s production shows, once more, how his own brand of Hip Hop can fit with any project as he easily keeps the whole thing flowing. Raising you up when you need it and giving just the right amount of feeling to allow that deeper aspect to filter in when called for, perfectly reflecting the moods that emcees are looking for and, that said, Louis Cypher, Nay Loco and Ty Healy all handle their vocals with aplomb. They switch from club banger bars and feel good to deep reflection and back again with an effortless ease as they condense The Long Year into just six tracks.
I like the fact that you can really feel the passion and feeling in every track, regardless of the subject matter. There is this real sense that the ultimate message here is that, yeah, it has felt like we have been moving through a fog of fear, confusion, and pain but, that we are still here and through the strength that has brought with it we can move through anything and create better times and music is one of the best ways to do that.
There is not much else I can say here really except the EP is topped off by some wicked artwork from Danny Cleary and I urge you to grab this, stick it on and properly enjoy it.
The Long Year EP is released tomorrow, 25th March 2022, through I'm Not From London and Kamikaze Airlines Records.
Check the links below for the official EP launch on I'm Not From London Bandcamp page and details of tomorrows official launch party for the EP.
Peace out,
Steve / Infinite Sounds UK
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