Earl Sweatshirt uploaded a surprise new project to YouTube this evening.
The lush ten minute track is an apparent tribute to his mother who, as previous songs and interview suggest, he’s had a rocky relationship with.
We thought the rapper and producer had already dropped his only surprise of the year with his new album, I Don’t Like Shit I Don’t Go Outside. Apparently we were wrong.
Solace is lo-fi, experimental and brilliant.
Earl Sweatshirt is one of the youngest members of ‘hiphop collective’ (ugh, I hate that phrase) Odd Future; basically a bunch of brilliant artists. His debut album Earl earned attention from Complex Magazine who named it as one of their top albums of 2010.
Earl’s follow-up, Doris, shot to number one in the US Rap Charts as well as receiving critical acclaim from swathes of critics and a perfect score from Ben Beaumont-Thomas at The Guardian.
Solace is more stripped back than previous releases, but still carries a depth only attained by sinking into yourself.