Seemingly conjured from nothing by willpower alone, Compton newcomers Paris Texas have crashed onto the scene with a hell of an opening statement with their debut single and video for the track “HEAVY METAL”. The unholy union of hip-hop and punk has been attempted many times over the years, with varying degrees of success. The 90s craze of pop-punk bands recruiting rappers represents a low point in this experiment, but rarely has it sounded better than in this track.
Paris Texas comprises of two rappers, Louie Pastel and Felix, and they really commit to the bit by wallowing in the grit and grime sonically as well as aesthetically. The fact that the group would probably deservingly roast me for writing something that pretentious simply adds to the fun. The track is a short, sharp burst of demented energy like an energy drink spiked with DMT. The beat starts out with simplistic drums, swaggering bass and dirty guitar stabs which seem to be attempting to single-handedly keep punk alive, then builds up to a wordless, flailing frenzy of crunchy guitars for the hook.
The video sees an array of bodily harm being inflicted on our two heroes, which is extra inconvenient as they have to rap throughout the torture. Louie Pastel is dragged along the street by two masked drivers while Felix is taped to a chair and battered. Both rappers somehow manage to squeeze out some gems in between mouthfuls of blood.
“I can’t chill with a bop or a bozo
I’m the one dodging bullets in slow-mo
Little bitch, you are not at a dojo
You can’t kick it here, bitch, I am JoJo
Bizarre how I move and I’m trippin’
Got these tabs on my tongue like a browser
Oh my God, Louie over there spittin’
He can beat up this beat for an hour”
The track helpfully lays out the group dynamic so we know what to expect in the future. Louie takes more of a wordsmith role, Manga references aplenty, while Felix is the wild card. His manic vocal inflections and tics bring to mind Meechy Darko from Flatbush Zombies, but taken to extremes and given a dash of extra sauce. It’s a solid dynamic to build on for the duo, a classic, tried-and-tested formula with a proven track record of success. A buzz has begun building for Paris Texas after a few Instagram posts and one song, which remains us that the internet isn’t a force for pure evil all the time. Many people, myself included, will be paying attention to the group’s next move with baited breath. No pressure lads.
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