Sickmade is well on its way to a consecutive year of impressive waves across the UK. Mist still doesn’t need a million cosigns from across the Atlantic or overwhelmingly desperate promotion, as Diamond in the Dirt bolsters itself. A well-versed combination of greaze and celebration, his sophomore EP is the product of his consistent work rate and Steel Banglez’s unbeatable production.
Mist is known for powerfully cinematic visuals on his videos that make his music more of an experience than a one time click. So, when the video for ‘Game Changer’ dropped two weeks ago, most of us were more than satisfied with a 3-minute movie. However, followed by the announcement that it would form part of his coming EP ‘Diamond in the Dirt’, most of us knew nothing average would come of it. With the cover art depicting his iconic pendant including a charging bull, Mist is definitely charging through the China shop on this one.
Slightly overcompensating with 9 tracks, ‘DITD’ is a natural follow on from strings of viral videos from Mist. Collating his newer tracks in a solid body of work makes interacting with his music a lot easier for those of us who don’t like making playlists. ‘Dreams to Reality’ acts as a short introduction that is unfortunately over before you realise it. However, it acts as a small taster of what is to come and leaves you wanting more, right before you are confronted with a genius collaboration with Nines on ‘On it’. Make no mistake, the energy in Mist’s voice is for go-getters only. His unique ability to retain the same recognisable flow on tracks without sounding exactly the same on every one gives him an originality that is difficult to resist, hence his love from every corner of the UK.
Surprisingly, I found ‘Uber’ featuring MoStack incredibly difficult to connect to, but it’s following with the growing ‘Game Changer’ is a more than happy replacement in my eyes. Jessie Ware and Mr Eazi’s are supreme feature choices, bringing a softer sensuality that cuts through the grittiness of the EP’s beginning and ending. ‘Display Skills’ has the definite potential to be a summer banger. Fekky’s presence on it was slightly questionable, but not entirely harmful. As an iconic duo, I was initially sceptical to Steel Banglez not dominating the entire EP, however bringing other producers on was a definite success. Extra special props to Swifta Beater and Hazard. Haile (WSTRN)’s mellow vocals on ‘Fountain’ leads us out of a slower section before stagnating on Not3s’ ‘Order It In’ then rising to the crazy crescendo that is ‘Mosh Pit’; another track that will be heard across major festivals this year. Altogether, a strong ending to match a strong beginning.
A solid body of work with an originality that is difficult to pin, ‘Diamond in the Dirt’ hints that the only way is still up for the Sickmade Karla.
