Entry 816 - Bmbu - #Throwback

Style: Instrumental hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: That moment of pure bliss as you lay down after a hard days work with no responsibilities left

Thoughts: I've probably used this analogy before, but it works incredibly well for #throwback. A deep breath, a pause. The stress of the world. Financial pressures from constant inflation. Stress from work that never seems to truly cease. A respite is needed.

This respite can be as simple as taking five minutes, breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly. It forces the nervous system to slow down, to stop releasing adrenaline. A moment in time to stop everything in its tracks, to close your eyes and just be. No stress, no fear, no emotions, just... be. That breath, that moment, that break... that is what #throwback is.

The hip hop that is contained in this half an hour of music is slow, borders on lo-fi levels of production, and does not have a single care in the world. This is a remembrance and tribute to times that dot our dreams. Those fleeting memories of childhood when we didn't have a care in the world. When the worst thing in the world was someone messed up the order which they put the peanut butter and jelly on the sandwich. Simpler times.

While the production borders on lofi, the music does not. The music has more in common with jazz and lounge based hip hop than anything form the derivative nature of the lofi genre. This is a key part as to why Bmbu's album works so well. It evokes positive emotions without ever falling into the trappings of repetitive loops and poorly sequenced drums. 

While those compositional stylings are certainly hinted at during the entirety of #throwback, they never reach the point where they overstay their welcome. Each song is short and to the point. They also each tap into a different aspect of nostalgia, some more directly than others. I suspect that different songs will speak to different people in the same way. 

#Throwback is an album I found sitting in a crate in a bargain bin. For whatever reason the cover stood out to me, and I gave it a listen on steaming while in the store. I only had to listen for a few minutes to know that it was coming home with me. I know nothing else of this artist, have not listened to any of their other works. That may or may not change in the future. What I do know though is that this album is an excellent moment of peace in a world that only seems to get more and more chaotic with time.

Written May 13th 2024