Joey LaBeija - 7/10

Joey LaBeija goes fully fuckin' in on his debut album. It's only 22 minutes long but damn can you hear his heart and soul poured into it. Known for raucous ballroom edits, the New Yorker actually flips the script on this and comes out with spacious beat-making and synthetic melodies that shimmer and dance like poetry being spoken aloud on a hot summers night. How's that for a simile? And it ain't no lie: Joey told Fader that this record was written as some intense personal shit came to a head, so there's no wonder that it sounds emotional and meditative. Imagine if Lotic made a collab with Mr Mitch. Or don't, just hit the SoundCloud rn.

Released: 18/08/2015