Seattle based producer and rapper Kellan. is back with the release of his album Suicide Blonde. From start to finish, his new album explores the diversity and varying styles he brings to the table both vocally and behind the boards. Throughout the album, elements of EDM, hip-hop, boom bap, and R&B are heard. While some gestures are rather subtle with these influences, it adds greater depth to the project as a whole.
Kellan. – Suicide Blonde
The first song on Suicide Blonde is titled “Window Shopping”, which is more EDM based with light synth textures heard in parallel with an uptempo beat. Kellan. is also heard mainly singing on this track, which adds a nice contrast to the more consistent rap he adds later on the album.
His next two tracks titled “Better in the Summer” and “95-05” perfectly capsule his sound which includes precise vocal sampling, expansive synth work, and creative wordplay. “Better in the Summer” especially showcases Kellan.’s full rap abilities, as this element was more contained on the opening track. While “Better in the Summer” was released earlier this year, it’s interesting to see how it transitions to “95-05” simply due to the similar sonic landscape that they both share.
Kellan. – “Better in the Summer”
The fourth track on Suicide Blonde is titled “Cut Throat”, which proves to be one of the most memorable and fun tracks on the album. The production of the backing vocals is striking, mainly due to how it blends with the explosion of instruments in the chorus. Kellan.’s vocals are also impactful, as his fast yet precise flows interestingly match the uptempo flair of a synth heard in the similar range.
For the next track “Whodunnit” featuring D Mikey, it stands out due to the lyrics heard from both vocalists. One of the most compelling lines is heard with Kellan. saying “The next shit I drop will really be something else, so they’ll hate it because it’s something else.”
His song “QLC” also follows up on the creative and impactful vocals with it being more politically driven with its message. Since the track was a single prior to the release of Suicide Blonde, full coverage of the song can be found here.
Kellan. – “QLC”
For the next three tracks on the album, the overall sound turns to have more of a laid-back vibe. This can be heard with the instrumentals being slower, as well as having more R&B and boom bap influences heard as well. The production excellence of the backing vocals emerges again especially with the tracks “Opportunity Cost” featuring Matty V and “Rather Be Lonely.” The influence of more acoustically based instruments heard on “Just For The Weekend” featuring VeRich also adds nice variation to this part of the album.
The final track on Suicide Blonde titled “Rock How You Cruise” offers a solid finish to the project. Especially in the chorus, it returns to have more of an EDM vibe that was especially heard with “Window Shopping”, which was the first track in the album. Since the sounds of the first and final track share similar tendencies, “Rock How You Cruise” has a very conclusive sound which finishes things really well.
Overall, Suicide Blonde has something that everyone listening will enjoy. It doesn’t matter if someone is a hip-hop, EDM, or R&B fan, because it includes all of those elements. Kellan.’s production also shines, as the incorporation of varying sounds, instruments, and styles provides a fun, fresh, and exciting listen throughout. There isn’t a moment where things get stale or boring, as the switching of styles and moods happens at exactly the right time.
One of the most interesting aspects of Suicide Blonde is the energy that Kellan. creates especially with his lyrics. From start to finish he touches on many subjects that are quite real and serious, but still keeps the music fun and uplifting. Early standout tracks include “Cut Throat”, “Whodunnit” featuring D Mikey, and “95-05.”
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