Following a drip feed of singles over the last few months, the release of Hemlock Ernst and Icky Reels‘s Studying Absence is almost upon us. For the uninitiated, Hemlock Ernst is the alias of Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring, through which he puts out rap music that’s altogether different from his work with the band. After Herring made some appearances on other people’s tracks, Tygr Rawwk Records owner (and founding member of Anti Pop Consortium) Beans reached out to suggest he make a record with Icky Reels. The collab saw a move away from Hemlock Ernst’s usual soul and jazz style beats, pushing boundaries into something harsher, more industrial, and open to cerebral experimentation.
Previous singles saw collaborations with Beans himself and EUCLID of Armand Hammer, and the latest ‘Old Dead Dogs’ is no different. Beans returns, this time alongside New Jersey rapper Fat Boi Sharif, and together they create something that pulsates with intense energy. The press release calls it “an icy, mechanical track with cold veins,” which is a pretty good indication of what to expect, except it perhaps undersells the sense of propulsive motion that drives it forward. Herring’s delivery is so smooth and flawless it creeps toward his singing voice, while Beans brings stark vibrancy and Sharif a kind of woozy slo-mo potency.