The piano at the beginning of “Broken Girl,” from the new Aspenk9repro single vibrates with a nurturing, balmy tone. The guitar that quickly follows suggests an optimistic read on the blues.
When Aspen arrives, he’s wistful, and sad, and wistful about his sadness: “Please lil momma don’t try to play me”, he raps. Later in the song,
On the wildly impressive “Broken Girl,” Aspen nails a refreshing blend of pure singing and melodic rapping. Aspen is a true singer who also can rap, and whose cross-pollination between the two feels completely grounded in R&B principles — an anomaly among his peers
Throughout “Broken Girl,” Aspen originally from New York., paints a picture of devastation and disappointment. On “M.O.B” he bemoans the limited options available to him and the people he grew up with. On songs like “You’re lost,” he bounds back and forth between scratchy rapping and sweet-exhale singing. Often we hear him singing and rapping all at once, overlaying one track of his vocals atop another, as if he’s healing himself in real time.
While Aspen works with a wide range of producers, they’ve collectively honed a signature sound that suits Wave perfectly — most songs begin with lush and contemplative piano, a plangent and melancholy guitar, or both. The tempos are slow, allowing him to linger over his pain.
Stay tune with Aspenk9repro!
