★★★★☆
Troubled with tangents of materialism, overbearing law enforcement, love and even extra-terrestrial encounters, the 13 tracks onArmwrestling Atlassee Perth’s poignant lyricist Mathas cover immense ground set against the backdrop of classic and revised hip hop beats.
A mixture of lavish, witty rhetoric and amusing skits that are littered throughout, this album’s localisation of its subject matter is the real head-turner. Third track ‘Doctorshopping’ is a prime example, with an older, wiser Mathas rationalising a youth’s need for drug use with his own experience in mind. ‘Puppies In Fish Tanks – Redux’ shows yet another side, one with a more apocalyptic vibe and filled with questions about making “Everything replaceable / How long until it’s humans? / How long until it’s us?”
‘King Ponce’, with its self-depreciating lyrics and satirical skit, emanates vibes of disgust, whereas ‘Interplanetary Relations’ holds vivid imagery with a euphoric lift into the sweet final verse. But nothing even compares to ‘Nourishment’. The subject matter alone, and the point of view it adopts, make it one of the most captivating and honest Australian songs of our time.
With the only questionable track being ‘Free Shit’ (does the tempo really do the subject matter justice?), this album solidifies the fact Mathas is underrated beyond belief.
Mathas’Armwrestling Atlasis available now through Big Village.
