Review: "The Secret Stache" EP by Chughey
/
Spitting truth like pure fire, Michigan based rap artist Chughey’s “The Secret Stache” EP is an intensely personal performance. Lyrics have a unique quality to them verging on a stream of consciousness approach. By focusing intensely on mental health, a desire to grow, the collection has a power to it.
Chughey keeping the arrangements to the essentials the way the journey unfurls gives it a highly personal quality. Things have a reflective quality to them, from his observations that run through the entirety of the collection to the dreamy-hued melodies that gracefully waft on by.
References abound throughout the whole of the mix. Chughey’s style touches upon the work of Atmosphere and Oncue. By keeping things focused, the EP has a great urgency to it. Surprisingly reassuring, there is a hope that seems to tie it all together. The focus on redemption, the desire for it, gives Chughey a little in common with Kendrick Lamar’s pointed critiques of society at large. Additionally, too, the emphasis on getting the atmosphere just right further touches upon Lamar’s work, especially from his “DAMN.” album.
Woozy keys introduce the EP on a high note with “Example”. Akin to coming in and out of focus, the song’s disorienting structure perfectly punctuates Chughey’s careful, highly articulate narratives. The blurred melodies alongside the nimble beats gives it a floating through space sort of emphasis. Heavier with its tact is the intense “Begin to Die”. Delivered with urgency, from the martial rhythms to the shouted vocals, there is a commanding presence that tries to cut through the haze. Full of concern, care, and compassion, the song feels akin to a wake-up call.
Easily the highlight of the entire collection comes from the warped toy-box riffs of “Ominslash”. Giving it a nostalgia gone nightmare fervor, the eerie echoes add to the strange unsettling quality of the piece. Ever larger, the piece works itself into a virtual frenzy. For the finale stretch Chughey strips it all away, leaving only a raw beating heart at the very center of it all.
Chughey’s new EP, “The Secret Stache”, shows off his highly unique style, inviting the listener into his innermost thoughts and feelings.