As I typically mention in each review I do of an indie hip hop artist, the scene is overwhelmed with bad efforts and stereotypes. Crash and Burn is a four piece rap outfit hailing from Florida, one that’s already put out several EP’s and is working on their next effort. ‘Presence of Regret’ is a tune off their latest release, ‘STFU Forever.’ Does the group fall victim to the scene’s pitfalls like most? Let’s find out.
Okay, let’s air the bad stuff out right away so we can move past it. The choruses and sung-vocals are absolutely terrible. They’re horribly out of tune and painstakingly awkward. This is what better vocalists, or autotune for the matter, are for. I hate to endorse autotune for a bad vocalist, but it would have been far more likable than whatever is going on with ‘Presence of Regret.’
It’s sort of endearing when Kanye West falls out of tune singing. With Crash and Burn… not so much. Right, we can move past that now.
Everything else is right on the money in this tune. The outfit opts to utilize really thick synthesizers and electronic influence rather than the beats rap artists typically utilize. This works in the group’s favor; it actually injects another genre’s stylings into the personality of the tune and it works. The rap delivery in the verses is excellent as well. These guys can really break it down and their rap style is incredibly good. Lyrically, the song is very smartly written. I always appreciate a rap outfit with a good hand for writing their tunes and not relying on their image to sell a record. (So many indie hip hop artists think they’re the best thing since sliced bread.
That pretension isn’t happening here.) I hate to say it, but the dichotomy between the sung choruses and the rapped verses makes this song a bit of a catch twenty-two. The former is miserably bad and drove me away from the song, while the latter continually attempts to remedy the wound. They should go back into this mix and redub the choruses. Put someone who can hold a tune in there, then this will be a song really worth raving about. Until then, it’s a good tune with an unfortunate pitfall that drags it down the hall without giving it a chance to spread its wings
By Brett Stewart
I’m a professional writer and editor, a journalism major, and I have extensive experience in musical review. I worked for two years as the Editor & Chief of an arts magazine, Strike Magazine, where I worked closely with writers and musicians. Through this, I was able to interact with dozens of acts including Heart, Holly Williams, Robert Cray, John Hiatt, and more. The magazine printed thousands of issues and was even recognized by Rolling Stone’s founder, Jann Wenner.
