Hailing from North Las Vegas, Wave Mmlz has become a notable name from the area in recent years with several consistently engaging albums, including the cathartic, catchy Into the Sun. Now, he has returned for a new project titled Alexander Decatur, which finds him paying homage to his locality over a series of infectious, gritty songs, delivering raw rhymes atop nocturnal instrumentals.
Clocking in at only 20 minutes, the project’s short run time ends up playing in its’ favor, as the listener might find themselves running through it 2-3 times before realizing they had even finished it. The main reason for this falls in the hands of production, mostly helmed by Wave himself with help from names like Trade Voorhees, Lyfe Serel, and a few others. Sticking to a cohesive sound that gives the project its dark, post-apocalyptic soundscape, each track feels as if it belongs next to the other without ever sounding too similar. The banger “ETA” finds Wave calmly spitting bravado raps atop eerie synths and dusty drums before guest Chuck Brilliant completely flips it on its head with his aggressive, powerful delivery. On “Zipcode”, a similar structure appears as Wave delivers serene vocals before Caterpillar Jones enters with a driving, energetic clean-up verse. Here, however, he kicks the nervous feeling that anchored the aforementioned track and instead opts for nostalgia and vitality, providing a different mood than his upbeat guests, and adding further dynamics.
In all, Alexander Decatur serves as Wave coming into his own as a complete artist, delivering a cohesive whole package. With a body of work that already includes a few songs that are considered local classics to the Vegas area, this project has the potential to have him breaking through on a macro-level. Following up a series of raw, powerful projects, this offering finds him as consistent as ever.
