This extended play was released on December 25th this year. I really like how Lord Juco drops an entry in this Bohemia Lynch-produced SHADOWS series every Christmas. It’s just one more thing to look forward to each year. I’ve mentioned Lord Juco a few times before on this blog. He’s been featured on projects from a few different artists that I’ve covered in the past—namely SeKwence, Sleep Sinatra, and the East Hampton Polo Boys. He also showed up on a year end list of mine a couple years ago. In fact, it was actually the third entry in this series that made it into my favorite EPs of 2020. He just uploaded the first four SHADOWS EPs to DSPs, so you can stream that shit now if you want. They’re all pay-what-you-want on Bandcamp though, so I’ve had them in my library for a while. I guess it is nice that you can share them on playlists now though. Anyway, as I kinda mentioned earlier, every track in this SHADOWS series is produced by Bohemia Lynch, who’s a really talented producer. I’m only really familiar with their work through Lord Juco. I’m gonna have to check out the other stuff at some point. I wasn’t expecting to love this project as much as SHADOWS 3, but it honestly came close for me.

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The project begins with Talking Pointe, which features an artist named HWY 308. I’m not really that familiar with him, but he was featured on Juco’s Company EP earlier this year, as well as one of my favorite tracks from Juco’s Details album from last year. Anyway, Bohemia Lynch’s lavish production on this track sounds really clean and polished. I love how there’s barely any percussion here. The first verse is handled by HWY 308, and I think he sounds pretty goddamn nice over this beat. However, I will say that the line about his cum being in a girl’s eyelash and resembling gorilla glue was pretty fucking disturbing. I enjoyed his verse overall though. The second verse from Lord Juco is even better to me.

Smokin' 'til the stress is gone, but it never leaves
Off the mushrooms and evergreens, tryna find a better me
But will we ever meet?

If you’re one of those people that’s incapable of enjoying a rap song that has no percussion then you probably won’t dig this record, but I really fucking like it. I think this track is great. The production is gorgeous, and HWY 308 & Lord Juco definitely did it justice. It’s a dope song. The following track is called Suzy, and it’s even better in my opinion. The production here is phenomenal. I get the coveted involuntary head nod every time this beat comes on. I don’t even have much interest in the subject matter of this song, but I think Juco did it really well. When the rapping is this good I guess you can make anything seem interesting.

Believe me
Got nothin' to hide or lie about, give a fuck how you see me
The truth get tried out 'til it's easy, she give me top like ZZ
'Cause I'm sharp dressed, she said "don't leave me"
I dogged her, she say that's far-fetched
Did her greasy, not how a man handles things
Never manhandle her, every argument like gambling
Can't handle her temper, young Pamela, change temperature
Can never do the sandal thing, wasn't meant for her

Again, I like this song even more than the preceding track. The structure is very straightforward; it’s just one verse with no hook or bridge or anything like that, which I actually like. This song is really dope. The penultimate track is called Pirouette, and it has another feature from HWY 308. Once again, this track is even better than the one it follows. The production here is fucking beautiful. Bohemia Lynch killed this shit. Same goes for Juco on the first verse too. I actually really like the hook on this track as well.

I smoke a lot, I forget things
My bitch face resting, bad bitch undressing
Stay pressing buttons
That's why Lord ain't impressed with nothin'

The second verse from HWY 308 is also pretty nice. I really liked how he rhymed “crew neck” with “too wet” and “brunette” even if the content of the lines was a little too much information. There’s really nothing about this song that I don’t like. Both of the verses from Juco & HWY 308 are great, and the production is pretty stunning. The song’s dope as hell. The closing track is my favorite song on the project. It’s called Madame Blanc, and it’s fire. Once again, the production is absolutely gorgeous. I really dig the minimalistic approach to the percussion, and Juco sounds spectacular over it.

You don't really wanna see what I see
You don't really wanna be where I be, it could bleed like I bleed
But you don't believe like I do, you couldn't tie my shoes
Let alone walk a mile, it's all smiles 'til I gotta do what I do

I think I misquoted the second line in that quatrain, but it is what it is. Anyway, I really love this track. Once again, the structure is very straightforward, just like that of Suzy. Everything here is just super good. The production is superb, and Juco killed it. The song’s dope as hell.

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^{This EP is exceptional. I actually think this is one of the best extended plays I’ve heard from 2022. With a short project like this, there’s pretty much no room for error, and thankfully neither Bohemia Lynch nor Lord Juco slipped up once. HWY 308 came through with his features as well too. I enjoy every second of this project. It just gets better and better with each track in my opinion. I think Bohemia Lynch is a really talented producer that makes gorgeous, polished instrumentals, and Juco always sounds perfect over them. I kinda hope this SHADOWS series never ends because it always feels special. I’m looking forward to the next entry in the series if they decide to keep it going. This is my second favorite behind the third one. Don’t sleep on this project. Don’t let the fact that it’s not on streaming services prevent you from checking it out. Again, you can download it for free from Bandcamp if you don’t feel like paying anything for it. I love this thing. Check it out, and let me know what you think of it. It’s really dope in my opinion.}

Favorite Song: Madame Blanc
Least Favorite Song: Talking Pointe

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