This extended play was released on March 19th this year. S. Reidy released a really dope EP last year entitled Sketchbook, and I loved the lead single for this new project, so I have no reason to believe that this won’t be a good listen. Every track is produced by Die Cute.

---

The first track is entitled Transcendental Voices, and it has a really dope, albeit repetitive beat. The one thing that popped into my head when listening to this song was Rhymesayers. S. Reidy sounds like he would fit in really well with artists like Slug and Grieves in my opinion.

The overbearing weight of being anything at all
Has a way of leaving stains on your brain and on the walls
I feel entitled to a meaning of menial persistence
And God can break apart the puzzle pieces of existence

I think the verses are really well written, and I actually love the singing on the hook. It sounds really great over this dark production. I think the song is dope as hell. The following track, The Barter, just solidified the Rhymesayers comparison for me. This is the most lyrically aggressive song on the project. S. Reidy killed the first verse.

I'll take a shot at suffering the succotash until it hurts
But I'll punch a sucker fast if I start sleeping on the turf
I'm just thinkin' long term, I can't afford the rent
If every corner that I turn is making profit from my debt
The walls are getting higher and my lungs are getting blue
I try to barter, but the universe is tearing out the screws

I really liked the guest verse from N7 as well.

Pray to God I never fall off even though it ain't too likely
Speakin' on my name some shit I never take too lightly
First to do it in my city, everybody tryna bite me
Why they hatin' on the kid? I swear my time of day is pricey
Fuck the cops and fuck the jury, fuck the judges and the racists
Fuck the sickos and the pedos, fuck the weirdos and the rapists

The song is dope as hell to me. It’s followed by Pity Party, which I don’t like nearly as much as the others, but I still think is good. I just don’t really think the production is particularly interesting on this song. As far as song structure goes, there’s not much going on aside from one verse from S. Reidy. The verse itself is pretty good. He gives one of his most verbally expressive performances on the whole project here. He sounds very animated.

I think that I'm a mess
I'm thinkin' so much, I'm thinkin' that I need to think less
For sure I'm shuttin' up to take the backseat to Providence
There is no hypothesis, the evidence is all of this
So call it what you want, but it's a revolution
Fist raised, mouth shut, witness retribution
Or you can die up on that hill
Just like a rebel flag your famously great at taking L's

It’s a pretty good song to me overall, just not one of my favorites. The closing track was a single that I covered earlier this year in one of my Best Singles of the Week posts. It’s called The Midnight Gospel Literally Saved My Life, and I think it’s fire.

This is the first single from S. Reidy‘s upcoming extended play, I Started Grieving Today, which is scheduled for release on March 19th. This track reminds me a lot of something Yoni Wolf might’ve made with his Reaching Quiet group back in the day. S. Reidy has always kinda reminded me of Sage Francis too, so that’s pretty high praise if you’re familiar with them. I really like Die Cute’s kinda mellow production here, and the sentimental verse is great. I actually really love the sung hook here too. It sounds a lot better than I would’ve expected. That’s the part that mainly reminded me of Reaching Quiet. So yeah, overall I think the song is dope as hell. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

---

^{This extended play is really damn great. I appreciate how different this project sounds from his Sketchbook EP. This one is a lot darker-sounding, which I suppose makes sense given the title. I love the pensive lyricism, and I think S. Reidy’s got a knack for really great melodic hooks. I have no consistent gripes with this project. There wasn’t much room for error, and thankfully he didn’t make any. Give this project a listen. I think it’s really dope.}

Favorite Song: The Midnight Gospel Literally Saved My Life
Least Favorite Song: Pity Party

85