slowthai - TYRON Review

TYRON is an album that attempts to get to the guts of Slowthai as an individual. The person that we think he is versus the person he wishes to be. It’s a tale of two halves.

After his disastrous appearance at last year’s NME Awards (more on that later), slowthai would be forgiven for pulling a few punches and keeping things lowkey this time around. But thankfully he appears to have not lost any of the combative venom that made his fantastic debut, 2019’s Nothing Great About Britain, so captivating. Only this time his focus has shifted from politics and instead the crosshairs are sighted firmly on himself.

TYRON is an album that attempts to get to the guts of slowthai as an individual. The person that we think he is versus the person he wishes to be. It’s a tale of two halves. In fact the album itself is quite literally bilateral. Side 1 is the slowthai we all know and love, and occasionally love to hate. It’s the natural successor to Nothing Great About Britain, equally ferocious and equally frenetic. This time he’s joined by fellow shrinking violets, A$AP Rocky and Skepta, who both make valuable contributions. Side 2 attempts to showcase a more restrained and musically considered slowthai. It’s the more interesting and admirable of the two halves of TYRON, it doesn’t always hit the same highs as the opening seven tracks, but when it’s good it’s really good, and on occasion it surpasses anything slowthai has done before.

’45 SMOKE’  gets things underway, the Prince of Northampton reminding us what made him our favourite delinquent in the first place, “Take me for cunt, get knife to lung. Do for fun, it's nothing long. People think I'm Satan's son. Shotters, coppers, alcoholics. Drinking Foster's, anabolic!”. It’s angry, boisterous and playful. An anthem for the impoverished youth, a primal scream in the face of anyone who dares to turn a blind eye.  

‘Cancelled’ addresses that aforementioned NME Awards farce, where slowthai made a prat of himself by attempting some kind of drunkard teen-in-the-park mating ritual with comedian Katherine Ryan. The whole spectacle didn’t look too great on the night but it looked much worse, out of context, doing the rounds on the internet. Katherine Ryan publicly diffused the situation and slowthai has apologised unreservedly for his actions. But calls to cancel him and much debate over wether he’d ruined his career were still prevalent. Lyrics like, “How you gonna cancel me? Twenty awards on the mantelpiece. Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Girls in the crowd got their hands on me”, suggest he’s made his peace with the situation. As ‘Cancelled’ bobs and weaves its way to conclusion, it puts to rest any notion of career suicide.

‘MAZZA’ sees two rap heavyweights at the peak of their powers, A$AP Rocky’s slightly more restrained vocals serve as a perfect foil to slowthai’s more urgent attack. Lyrically it’s a joyous smorgasbord, with delights such as “We got tools like Homebase” and “Light a flame, toss a Molotov. Drop it off, then I Mazel Tov”. Even Jesus Christ and Popeye get mentions along the way. ‘VEX’ refuses to loosen the grip and ramps up the ferocity with slowthai performing vocal acrobatics over the ratatat of machine gun snare. “Been bad since I stepped out the womb. In a barrel with crabs, had to make them food. Always wanted more, but I learned to make do. If my attitude’s poor, it's because of you” slowthai snarls, showcasing his newfound strive for self-improvement, kind of. ‘WOT’ is criminally short at just under a minute long but, again, provides further example of slowthai’s masterful vocal delivery.  

‘DEAD’’s barely intelligible but infectious chorus dances atop spooky melodies and sparse bass notes that’ll make your walls shake and will undoubtedly be the scourge of next-door neighbours up and down the country. ‘PLAY WITH FIRE’ concludes side 1 and slowthai eases his foot off the accelerator a little, the outro even more so, maybe preparing us for side 2’s dramatic gear change.

‘i tried’ and ‘focus’ (we’re in lowercase territory now) open side 2 and both are album highlights. After the fantastic boisterous pummelling of side 1, ‘i tried’ is a blissful day out in the park that will have you yearning for summer. Likewise, ‘focus’ continues to showcase slowthai’s eclectic musical repertoire. There are shades of DJ Shadow, maybe even Outkast. It will undoubtedly open up slowthai to a whole plethora of new admirers.

‘terms’ is the standout track on the album. Now that slowthai has wiped the slate clean he seems to have freed himself up to new musical territories, this time employing Dominic Fike and Denzel Curry to lend a high-calibre help in hand. ‘terms’ exudes confidence, slowthai clearly revelling in the opportunity to stand out from the rap-pack and prove his musical worth. It’s a risky tactic but it pays off with aplomb.

‘push’, featuring the melodic vocals of L.A-based singer-songwriter Deb Never, succeeds as a standalone track but its saccharine sweetness means that it struggles to stand up to the riotous tumult that preceded it. Along with following track, ‘nhs’, it’s the point in which TYRON dials back the intensity just a little too much. They’re both enjoyable enough but it’s around here you’re most likely going to consider the skip button.  

‘feel away’ features James Blake and Mount Kimbie, so don’t be surprised when it sounds exactly like something that features James Blake and Mount Kimbie. James Blake can occasionally veer into groan-inducing territory but here his contribution is warranted, and the juxtaposition between himself and slowthai makes for a luscious, almost balladesque moment. The song is dedicated to the memory of slowthai's baby brother, who died in 2001. It makes for an incredibly poignant moment and further example of slowthai’s growth as an artist.  

Album closer, ‘adhd’, is another highlight and serves as the perfect balance between the two halves of TYRON. It begins with self-referential synths trying to unravel and make sense of themselves. Slowthai raps cooly, as his guttural screams ring out from the abyss. Towards the end, the music eases off and a voicemail message plays a heartfelt, and maybe a little drunken (we’ve all been there), declaration to a friend. It’s a surprisingly touching moment before Slowthai sees out the album by rapping like his life depends on it, blowing us a kiss, and dropping the mic. Probably.  

TYRON is undoubtedly born out of slowthai’s recent misadventures and perhaps his struggle to adapt to his new found celebrity. It’s credit to him as an artist that he’s clearly taken the time to reflect and channel his demons into his musical output. It wouldn’t have surprised anyone if slowthai had returned on the defensive with all guns blazing. So his approach here is refreshing and admirable. TYRON isn’t the work of someone who’s blindly punching their way out of a corner. It’s the work of someone who’s had a long hard look at themselves and decided that they want the world to shift its focus from the mistakes that they’ve made and instead, appreciate them for the extraordinary talent that they are.