Mr. Grevis, WA’s most affable emcee and most recent inductee into the almighty Sylabollix crew returns with his second album My Escape after the popularity of his debut release The Sampler in 2012. Already receiving triple j airplay for singles ‘So Beautiful’ featuring Joyride and Ness, and ‘The Apology Song’ featuring Drapht, things are looking promising for Mr. Grevis’s sophomore release.
Combining his supreme knack for story-telling with structurally savvy song writing, Grevis has teamed up with fellow SBX cohort Dazastah for the bulk of the album’s production, with additional beats from Cam Bluff and Rob Shaker. Tinged with new-age sounds and live instrumentation to match the array of subjects explored, My Escape reflects the times through Mr. Grevis’ eyes both sonically and lyrically.
With plenty of guest spots from Grevis’ expansive network of industry friends, My Escape features verses from Drapht, Layla, Dazastah, K21, Hons, Sesta, Trials, Apathy, Mortar, Complete, and Optamus, as well as vocal embellishment from Joyride, Ness and Drapht.
An honest and personal track, ‘The Apology Song’, as its title suggests, is a gesture of redemption to a past sweetheart. Dazastah on production created the stripped back acoustic loop from a riff Grevis had hummed him, which sets a melancholy, exposed stage for the hook and raps. Drapht, a man of many talents, sings on the mournful chorus to spine-tingling effect.
Also produced by Dazastah, ‘So Beautiful’ is set apart by its disco strings and heavy synth lines. An ode to newfound positivity, Grevis raps on his perception of the world now that he is happy within himself. Featuring Sydney’s master crooner Joyride, along with WA based newcomer Ness, the track’s infectiously uplifting hook floats over an electronic pulse.
‘Living the Dream’, another gem by produced Dazastah, sees Grevis light heartedly reflecting on the reality that he may never ‘blow up’ and make a lot of money from his music, but it is still healthy to pursue one’s dreams.
Mr. Grevis’s music is ridden with honesty and humour in equal measure. Drawing from his colourful past, the emcee has a lot to offer when it comes to song writing content. From Party track to heartfelt ballad, My Escape truly is one of the most personally generous bodies of work from an Australian hip hop artist to date.
“I’m a reformed ‘bad guy’, a person trying to right my wrongs. I want to educate the youth about using music as outlet rather than taking more destructive roads. I want people to see me not only as a musician, but as a real person. I try to be as open as I can, it’s pretty evident in my public interactions; I am publicly as I am personally, i am who i am and I’m not ashamed to state my opinions” – Mr. Grevis
Track list:
- Intro
- Living the Dream
- Curse of the Kennedys ft. Drapht
- Still High ft. Dazastah
- Sex With a Demon ft. Trials
- Wake Up and Do It Again ft. Hons
- The Apology Song ft. Drapht
- Dazastah Strikes ft. Apathy & K21
- Schizo ft. Layla, Sesta & Mortar
- Yin and the Yang
- We Need Order
- Corporate Wheel ft. Optamus exercise
- F#@K Tonight
- Give Lance a Break ft. Complete
- What Happens When You’re Dead?
- The Traffic Courtesy Song
- So Beautiful ft. Joyride & Ness
Release Date: 13.09.2013
Distributed By: Obese Records Distribution
Purchase My Escape from JB Hi-Fi here.
