Roy Blair first gained notoriety as a backing singer for BROCKHAMPTON founder, Kevin Abstract back in 2017. Before then, Roy Blair had been releasing his own solo tracks, EPs and albums since 2016, with the majority being DIY sounding alternative-indie-electronic-pop tracks. His earlier material was okay, with his 2017 debut album ‘Cat Heaven‘ demonstrating his talent and vision and having a few standout moments, but I felt that on the whole it sounded like a work in progress. This past week saw the release of his new three track EP ‘GRAFFITI‘ and it sounds like he’s finally found his style, and boy is it something special.

I’d recommend listening to the fourteen minute EP in one sitting to fully appreciate it. Each track has different parts to it and the three separate songs all flow together. The production on the EP is creative, as electronic sounds are mashed together to create an edgy-pop sound, with elements of rap present as well. I could see influences from Kevin Abstract, Frank Ocean and even Bon Iver in the EP, but despite these inspirations, the project just feels and sounds different, which really is rare for something released in 2019.

The project has some great pop-rap style verses from Roy Blair, catchy choruses and clever vocal manipulation. Looking back at his previous releases, there are hints of his talent and experimentation of these styles. On the track, ‘Thunder‘ from Blair’s album ‘Cat Heaven‘, the song starts as more of a classic indie/alternative tune, but the production on the second half of the track really demonstrates a unique blend of genres. Whilst on ‘Perfume‘, we hear his creative use of pitch alteration throughout the track as well as his pop-rap flow.

Roy Blair has announced a full second album will be released in 2020 and judging by the unique talent that he’s demonstrated on ‘GRAFFITI‘, there’s going to be a lot of attention on him; I for one can’t wait to see what he comes out with next.