No Lay-Ups (Ep)

Trey Coastal - No Lay-Ups (EP) [Reviewed by J-Simma] FCCs: None
RIYL: The Underachievers, EARTHGANG, J. Cole, J.I.D, Pro Era Nice double-EP that blends old-school production elements with modern trap vibes. Side A seems to focus more on mellow sample-driven beats that experiment with different genre feels like bossa nova and vintage jazz sounds. Side B feels more contemporary and unified in its production. Lyrically, the tracks focus on growing up 90s kids in the Bay Area, dealing with poverty and the police, and the artists’ hopes and dreams.
Favorite Tracks: Side A: 2, 3, 5, Side B: 1, 2, 5

SIDE A
1) Bonecrusher (feat. Fuego Diego) (3:10) - Heavy drums, nice bassline, energetic delivery, nice melodic chorus
**2) Seasons (3:32) - Strings give a vintage summer feel, melodic delivery builds a more nuanced, mysterious feel; doubletime switch up at the end
*3) Polynesian Sand (2:36) - Upbeat brazilian samples/drums laid over heavy bassline
4) Nothin’ Pretty (2:33) - Jazzy samples + tambourine + bassy drums, lyricist laments the burn of heartbreack
*5) Borrowed Time (3:01) - Smooth, melancholy string samples, conscious message about criminal justice. Verse builds into trap drums in second half

SIDE B

** 1) No Lay-Ups (3:09) - Midtempo. Great balanced production between melodic samples/arpeggios and drums/bassline
**2) R1 R2 L1 L2 (3:56) - Great electronic/8 bit samples paired w/ hard hitting drums. Lyrics tackle parallels between video games and real life
3) Alaskan (2:59) - Golden age-esque drums and jazzy sample work; feels very New York
4) Be Safe (3:10) - Heavy driving trap drums, lyrics tackle police violence & the emotional toll of the streets
**5) Zzz… (feat. K.E.L.L.S.) (2:51) - Nice vocal work, and tempo. Groovy, slightly lazy beat. Great outro track to round out the project.