GOK$ / Kenzo : HUNDREDS
GOK$ / Kenzo
HUNDREDS
The result of a year-long collaborative effort between up-and-comers GOK$ and Kenzo, Mood Swings is an invigorating, if not slightly overambitious EP that’s the definition of the sum being better than its parts. As tracks on their own, the songs on the EP are vague vignettes of conflicting confidence and self-doubt – however, listened to at one go, it manages to be an experience in itself, in large part indebted to Kenzo’s atmospheric yet dynamic production.
MOOD SWINGS title track begins the effort on a strong note. Riding Kenzo’s tastefully shimmery synths, GOK$ takes an understated approach to his opening hook, inculcating a strong sense of isolation. (“Mood swings/ Catch me in the zone that's a mood swing / I can't tell the time check the mood ring / Swearing to myself, kiss the pinky ring “) But on his subsequent verses, GOK$’ ambition unfortunately falls slightly flat. Here, his rigid flows take away from the track’s strong opening (”Moving back from yonder / In my thoughts I sit and ponder / Wonder what I got to do / to prove I do not need to lose”) – although thankfully the dynamic nature of the track still keep it an engaging listen.
It’s an interplay reprised on the subsequent OMNI, a cruising, tranquil track with an underlying eeriness matched by GOK$’ assured bouncy wordplay. But its momentum is again halted by the very middling NEW WAVE – although Kenzo does bring some interesting rhythmic ideas, there isn’t anything on it that’s particularly captivating.
Thankfully, the final two tracks end the EP on a strong note. HUNDREDS is a downtempo banger, bringing an infectious bass lick leading that leads into a killer pitched-down hook. Here, GOK$’ lines feel reminiscent of early Denzel Curry (“Hundreds on hundreds on hundreds / Pillaige and plunder / She make it clap like its thunder/ I don't believe in no blunders”).
Finally, closer FIRE is, well, fire. Kenzo flexes swirling pads and harmonised synths that blend in an almost rock-styled fashion, anchoring GOK$’ most confident verses on the whole EP (“Pacing up and down in the room whilst I plot/ Feelings getting Mixed gotta keep em on lock/ Keep my head high I see nothing but the top / I don't really fold don't know when’s the time to stop”).
Mood Swings is an overall strong effort that is best listened to at one go. The two are a pairing that should continue to stick together for future releases – if GOK$ manages to find his footing and consistently rap with the convicted fervor he possesses on the EP’s highest points, and Kenzo leans deeper into his more experimental tendencies, something truly special will be able to blossom from this collaboration. Go dollar!
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