Review: "Just After Dusk" EP by Jo-Rel, Featuring Ezza CG
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Jo-Rel and Ezza CG spit pure fire on the flawless flows of “Just After Dusk”. Warped, wonderful arrangements help to punctuate the power of their wordplay, for their verses have a tightness to them as they deftly reference a wide slew of pop culture. Everything about the collection stuns from the way they let an entire universe come into their sound. Samples are twisted and transformed into weird rhythms, though with obvious roots in hip-hop. The beats go way into the red as they have an urgency behind them, one that feels absolutely gorgeous.
References abound throughout the whole of the EP, as Jo-Rel and Ezza CG’s extensive knowledge and playful demeanor draws upon some of Das Racist’s style. Beyond this, the incredible dexterity of their delivery and the rather large swath of styles thrown into the mix recall some of Tyler, the Creator’s work in terms of its shockingly insightful observations. Despite using this as influences, their sound is distinctly their own for they manage to craft a universe that swirls around. Their trap beats further add to the freewheeling nature of the sound.
By far the highlight, the opener “Dusk” features a tremendous number of colors that burst forth. From woodwinds to flipped-around guitar riffs, the song has a force of nature to it. Symphonic with the great degree of joy is the elegant grace of “Move” where the bass underpins the whole of the entire journey.
Layer upon layer comes into the fray on the tense scope of “What Y’all Thought?” where the cryptic melody has an almost haunted quality to it. Going for a disoriented quality the swirl of “Right as Rain” features some fantastic call and response work.
“Gameofthrones” features a certain regal poignancy as they distort the sound through a virtual unlimited number of filters. The commanding presence of “Guardian Angel”, feat. Freelance Flint offers a celebratory presence to it, with an undue amount of swagger. Quiet jazz vamps add to the soulful finale of “Meeiune”.
Neatly capturing the surreal moment the world is in right now, Jo-Rel and Ezza CG explore strange terrain with the woozy world of “Just After Dusk”.