Throughout Bas' career, he's managed to incorporate some elements of R&B into his version of hip-hop. Songs like "Night Job," "Risk," "Decent," and "U-Turn," are just some excellent examples. Because of this experience, the first Dreamville signee is going for it all on his brand-new album, Melanchronica.
It's a collaboration project with English band The Hics, who have teamed up with the rapper in the past. All of their joint efforts landed on his 2016 record, Too High To Riot.
The group plays around with jazz and electronic music, so on paper, this is definitely an interesting choice for both acts to come together. But with a tight 10-song tracklist, it shows that Bas and The Hics were careful in their creative process.
Overall, the result is an extremely cohesive listening experience that feels dreamy, elevated, and at times, otherworldly. Saba, Domani, and Ab-Soul fill out the guest spots nicely too with passionate performances.
For the most part, Melanchronica focuses on relationships and the general feelings of love and the challenges they present. However, it also touches on personal problems and how the artists are dealing with them.
Bas and Saba particularly excel in that topic on the song "Erewhon," one of the lead singles. "Norbit" and "Everyday Ppl" also spearheaded the rollout.
Overall, this was a pretty big leap for Bas and The Hics but it pays off for a majority of the balanced 39-minute runtime. If you are looking for moving vocals and rapping, look no further than Melanchronica.
Bas & The Hics Melanchronica
Melanchronica Tracklist:
- Out of Sight
- Norbit with Ab-Soul
- Four Walks
- Everyday Ppl
- San Junipero
- Roxane's Interlude
- Comfort Levels
- Mine with Domani
- Erewhon with Saba
- Sometimes
