This week I’ve been dancing along to the new Harocaz tape “kthnxbye” – seriously fierce and rhythmically pummeling couple of raps over great, soulful beats – Harocaz’s droopy-jawed delivery is incredibly skillful, moving and filled with attitude. Also love the album artwork.

First up is a rap over “Cirrus”, a strong Bonobo instrumental in its own right and upon listening back to the original, it seems an unexpected choice for a hip hop beat – the swirling bell-like percussion sounds and its gentle club beat doesn’t immediately suggest to me that it would take well to rapping. But what Harocaz has added – layering multiple vocal tracks, and really finding a spot up-and-in between the rhythm of the drums – it now feels like the perfect choice. These decisions honored what “Cirrus” originally was and exposed new kinds of feelings within it that weren’t immediately obvious.

And then “Zamba Freestyle”, a colorful, bouncy beat featuring swishy cymbals, electronic bass stabs and funny ringtone sounds. Where “Cirrus” was a little introspective, this track is fully extroverted – pulsing, dynamic. The content of her rap feels more confident too – she’s clear, and quite courageous in asserting her own desires over those others have for her.

kthnxbye is short. kthnxbye is very potent. kthnxbye is powerful. Check out the music below…