K.Flay is an artist who has always defied being narrowed down to a single musical category. From her early career, she has been working with a smooth blend of hip hop and alternative. But she also adds indie electronica into the mix, and the result is truly great. Just when you think she can't possibly sneak anything else in, her latest effort, Every Where Is Some Where, sneaks some punk rock in as well. "Blood in the Cut" and "Black Wave" are serious jams.
What gives her a little extra something is her lyrical prowess. As a white female hip hop artist, it would be really easy to cross the line into cultural appropriation, but K.Flay isn't trying to pose as something she's not. All of her verses are authentic to her own personal experiences: heartbreak, being a drunk mess, and failing/flailing sideways through young adult life. It's intensely relatable for a lot of people. And if it isn't relevant to your personal experience, her word play is clever enough to keep you intrigued and listening.
K.Flay's lyric writing is so worth praising because she examines the depths of her darkest emotions, laying them bare for all of us to hear. This is something I think is more commonly seen in other genres, such as emo and indie rock. But what she does works and gives us this genre-blending magic.
Every Where Is Some Where is a solid album with a mix of a little bit of everything. with slick analogies, a few ballads, and some sweet rhymes. K.Flay is starting to get more attention (my local alternative station has had her in pretty solid rotation for the past year or so), and so if this is your first introduction to this awesome MC, I highly recommend checking out her back catalogue as well, particularly her self-titled EP.
