FLOHIO - No Panic No Pain Music Album Reviews

FLOHIO - No Panic No Pain Music Album Reviews
The long-awaited debut from this hotly tipped South London rapper fails to meet its astronomical expectations but shows glimmers of real brilliance.

Aweek before Flohio’s debut mixtape was due for release, the south London rapper was having second thoughts about the title. Unveiled, as it was originally to be known, didn’t feel right. No Panic No Pain, a lyric from the title track, was a better fit, Flohio said, for “a challenging time like this where I feel a little vulnerable.” There’s little sign of this vulnerability on the retitled tape: its 10 mostly brief tracks are cool and aloof, and the sound is more concrete façade than open-armed embrace. Opener “FLOFLO!” begins with Flohio, real name Funmi Ohiosumah, making awkward apologies over the phone for not being more emotionally available—before withdrawing abruptly into her own stresses: “All I know is madness,” she raps tensely, trailing off.
Flohio’s journey to this point has been one studded with acclaim. She first turned heads four years ago with a bouncy homage to her hood in “SE16”; fashion mag Dazed named her in its zeitgeisty Dazed100 list a year later. A steady drip of arresting singles led to 2018’s four-track Wild Yout EP and saw her lumped in with a loose grouping of alt-rappers that included the likes of Denzel Curry, slowthai, and Kojey Radical. She covered magazines and was picked out by supermodel Naomi Campbell as one of “10 Rising Female Stars Reimagining Our Future” for a piece of Vogue brandvertorial. The BBC named her in its influential ‘Sound of...’ list for 2019. The belated arrival and pressure of outsize expectations on this debut full-length release might explain Flohio’s last-minute jitters. The result doesn’t quite live up to the hype (it’s difficult to imagine what could), but still offers moments that confirm why everyone has been so excited about this 28-year-old rapper.

If you haven’t been to Flohio’s backyard of Bermondsey in south London—with its brick-built factories, warehouses, and disused wharves—then listening to No Panic No Pain is a good way to visit. The beats tend towards distorted kicks, metallic snares, and industrial synths. Flohio’s go-to flow is one that’s clipped and staccato, all straight edges. It’s a sometimes exhausting pairing that contracts and flattens song structures. “Booby Traps” feels stiff and fails to generate much forward momentum from a chanted call to arms; “Flash” gets halfway to a catchy chorus before shrinking back into verses that are difficult to decipher. Touches of US rap gloss offer some relief: on the Take a Daytrip-produced “Unveiled,” Flohio adds a silky sheen to her snippy flow that, contrasted with the natural grit in her voice, sounds vivid and bright. In the past she’s identified Lil Wayne as an influence, and this comes through as a playful lilt in her voice over the flexy swing of “Sweet Flaws”; on “Stuck In A Dance,” she elongates rounded vowels and floats from kick to snapping rimshot with gripping effect. These are real glimmers of brilliance; but No Panic No Pain would be more memorable if it had more of them.

Beyond that, it’s hard to identify exactly what’s missing. The appearance of a picked guitar on “Medicine” draws Flohio into sensitive introspection and a looser flow that adds some balance to the mixtape’s otherwise relentless pummel. The melancholy of “Roundtown” (with its chorus of “I’ve been around town, for a second going ham now/See me rolling tryna get my balance right”) puts the brakes on somewhat, but still struggles under its oppressive delivery. Despite its short runtime, No Panic No Pain can sometimes feel like an endurance test, more marathon wall than victory lap. People tend to encounter panic and pain—unpleasant though they are—when the body needs them most. They’re best experienced in small doses. Sadly, it’s hard not to feel the same way about this mixtape.
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About Wanni Arachchige Udara Madusanka Perera

Hey, I'm Perera! I will try to give you technology reviews(mobile,gadgets,smart watch & other technology things), Automobiles, News and entertainment for built up your knowledge.
FLOHIO - No Panic No Pain Music Album Reviews FLOHIO - No Panic No Pain Music Album Reviews Reviewed by Wanni Arachchige Udara Madusanka Perera on December 07, 2020 Rating: 5

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