…Then You Lay Waste to the World by Zayok

As hip hop steers back towards a 90s boom bap sound, the internet scene continually reminds us just how much inventive, noisy, distorted territory we haven’t yet explored before we give up on innovation. The intensely chaotic, intimately confessional sound of …Then You Lay Waste to the World by Zayok fills its sonic space with gargantuan bass synths and fast, frequent digital flourishes, angling towards accessibility while blazing its own trail. Deep side chaining and sweeping chord changes breathe organic life into these transparently artificial sounds, harmonizing perfectly with the pleasant, personable lead vocals to amplify their relatable trains of thought. The internet scene has always produced these comfortable, relatable pieces that reflect us back to ourselves, but rarely do these albums capture so precisely our emotional highs and lows while maintaining their head-bopping kinetic appeal. In a world of increasingly wordy lyricism, narrow beats, and aggressive delivery, the emotionally crushing, digitally turbocharged lullabys of Zayok bring a welcome counterpoint to broaden the scope of contemporary hip hop.