A captivating hip-hop sound shines on MEAT HEAD, the new album from Phoenix-based act HOMEGIRL!. The production stirs with a nostalgic and melodic charm, often infusing classic soul samples alongside gripping vocal precision. The trio comprises three best friends, who went to high school together in Pennsylvania, and found themselves in different states after high school. The pandemic brought about music collaboration via email, and then they all moved to Phoenix to pursue the project more seriously.
Lou Bodega’s production envelops with its range, ranging from the hazy brass-laden mystique in “Blue Perfume” to the hypnotic, twanging pulsations of “Skip Jones.” The latter is especially exemplary of the act’s immersive qualities. Swirling funk guitars move within a lush vocal sample, as infectious vocal leads exude compelling contemplation — “I gotta stop thinking about my teenage years, when my brain was malleable,” — as jangling guitars and hypnotic percussion conjoin. The album’s vocal performances are by “dontsweatit” and “Kyehn S” — both excelling with a grasp of melody and rhythmic precision, and drawing from greats like MF Doom, Billywood, and Elucid in the lyrical prowess.
Opening the album, “Well Done!” is another highlight — moving seamlessly within serene vocal harmonizing and mellow keys. The lyrics consume with perspective on ambitions and risk-taking, moving thereafter into the debonair chilliness of “Mega Church Money.” “No more walls to hide behind, true face revealed,” the vocals drive, artfully conveying unhealed scars within an artful interchanging of two vocalists. Also especially gorgeous is the beat within the album’s title track, where creeping strings and soulful vocal samples meld with delightful enthrallment. MEAT HEAD is a fantastic hip-hop success from HOMEGIRL!
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The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Hip-Hop.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
