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Yibby takes us through his debut EP 'Lost In Translation' track-by-track

27 June 2019 | 12:19 pm | Caitlin Medcalf

Yibby's debut EP 'Lost In Translation' is out right now. He took us through the coming of age body of work track-by-track.

Sydney rapper YIBBY has been solidifying himself as a force to be reckoned with for a while now, most particularly in the lead up to the release of his debut EP, Lost In Translation. Taking influence from a range of musos like Chance The Rapper and Earl Sweatshirt, the EP pairs left-of-centre instrumentals with his imitable flow, making for an unforgettable experience.

The five-track EP showcases Yibby's unique intonation, telling coming-of-ages tales through a varying of dynamic writing styles, and if anything, shows how he's an artist truly beyond his years.

Of the EP, he said "Dealing with relationships, coming and going, navigating through the industry, the black experience, love and loss, just human things." He adds "the title has nothing to do with the movie, I’ve never actually seen it ha."

To get a little bit more of an insight into the record, Yibby gave us a track-by-track rundown, going into detail on the meaning and creation of each work on Lost In Translation. Dive in below.

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'Woah'

This was the first of these records I made and it ended up being the opener, which is cool. I heard that organ melody and I started making that drawn out "woooah" hook and then wrote the rest of the song around that. I wanted it to be brash and raw and I think the lyrics and delivery did that. It's one of my favorites to play live/period because it's honest but I can really get into character with it.

 

'Talk'

Talk was my favourite on the project for a while. It's a braggadocio track with a twist because it's mostly me saying something confidently and then questioning it. The feature with Price came really late in the piece, I had the record for months then one day I was just playing it for Price and I thought damn, this could be tight with a breakdown at the end. So I flipped the hook lyrics a little on that part for Price and my guys and Price made it happen.

 

'Folk'

I was probably the most indecisive with this one. I kept changing the production and the lyrics around, I wanted it to be fun, I was trynna channel some Stevie on the hook haha but I still wanted it to say something. It's about not letting pre-conceived notions or stories that are told depict the way you treat people or see things. The guys really came through on production, they brought the funk but still kept it a bit dark which I could appreciate, I want to include more guitar solo's in the future too!

 

'180'

180 started with an old beat I found in my emails that we ended up re-doing.  I'm pretty sure I got the idea for the song after I popped my tire on a curb! So I made it about a 180 situation where something or someone switches up on you and you have to make your next move. There's actually a sample of a Darts announcer saying 'one-hundred and eighty' at the start of the track, 180 is the highest score you can get in darts and I thought it was funny. I actually tried to do the hook myself but it sounded flat, so I hit up Chanel. Her voice is really quirky so I thought that would suit the off-kilter production.

 

'Brink'

I wrote this track in about 30 minutes, it was a morning and it sort of all just poured out. I didn't know where I wanted it to sit in the track list but once that outro section was done I felt like it had to be the last track. It's a sombre but at ease ending to a project that to the person making it was pretty cathartic. I had been to that place, I let myself be vulnerable and I was cool with it. I've found that people have resonated with it, which has been nice to hear.

Photo by Aaron Bull

Intro by CAITLIN MEDCALF

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