“Looking at the ceiling / and my eyes glaze over / and my feeling ain’t sober / come on”
If you were looking for something to close out a night to from the Aussie hip-hop scene, pick this. Let me set the scene:
The party is nearing an end. The music is spilling out of the speakers and dripping over the remnant participants, who feel the water weighing down their steps. The night’s consumption has thrown a heavy blanket over everyone who’s still kicking in half time with a smell of stale beer, sweaty palms, intermittent laughter, and half-open eyes careening around mindlessly. The tune’s tempo syncs up exactly with the wavelengths of partygoers’ thoughts, leaving everyone entranced. That’s where “Faded” exists.
Milwaukee Banks creates a hefty come-down anthem that is carried by an in-the-clouds production supporting the rapper’s lead-mouthed choruses: “I’m faded, fucking faded, still jaded.” The duo, consisting of Melbourne-based producer Edo and Dyl Thomas, self-describe as cloud rap — think Kid Cudi or maybe Lil B — and will be releasing their album, Deep Into the Night, later this month. Based on the album’s title, I would expect more of the same.