For some time now, Greek-Colombian artist YUNG MAS, based in Canada, has been building an eccentric little universe where psychedelic trap, drill, melodic rap, electronic textures, and hyper-grunge can all exist under one roof. Creative independence seems to suit him. His music favors booming 808s, hazy melodies, unusual production choices, and loops that burrow into your head. And if his “#GXP” projects are any indication, there’s a good chance you are in for a wonderfully strange surprise.
That spirit runs through “Dead Fortune,” a seven-track release spanning just over 22 minutes. It has a nocturnal, almost lawless digital atmosphere, as though someone unearthed a distorted VHS recording alongside corrupted files from some forgotten corner of the deep web. The imagery feels fitting for YUNG MAS, whose raw, self-contained approach makes the music seem to operate by rules of its own.
The opener, “Tinta,” brings a grunge-rock edge to instrumentation that is sparse but punishing. Crisp, skipping hi-hats, heavy sub-bass, and dark ambient loops leave generous pockets of space around the vocals. I particularly love the way YUNG MAS drifts through slow, almost drugged-out slurs, then suddenly finds a rapid-fire rhythmic pocket. You never quite know which version of his delivery is coming next.
On “dear future me…,” produced by TRUFACETONY, those rough edges become downright menacing. Its introduction is cinematic, jumpy, and gritty, driven by blown-out, distorted 808s and hazy, melancholic synth pads. The unstable textures suit the song’s sense of torture, closing in until the atmosphere feels almost claustrophobic. YUNG MAS pushes his voice through heavy distortion, folding it into the instrumental rather than presenting a clean, separate performance. The whole thing has the wandering intensity of a stream-of-consciousness confession recorded in the dead of night.
Then there is track six, “eYeZ oN tHE tHroneE,” which somehow manages to be ridiculously catchy while sounding so gloriously strange. I swear you can hear the drill influence creeping through the sinister synths, haunting strings, thumping 808 bass, and hard-hitting drums. Emo-fueled melodies and modulated AutoTune vocals twist around each other, giving the track a slippery, free-flowing appeal without anything remotely cookie-cutter about it.
“Marxo (I Go Polo),” featuring JUGGMAFIA, kicks the energy up considerably. Its underground plugg and plugg-drill feel comes through in the punchy low end and fast, volatile rhythm. The delivery is more aggressive here, with the kind of unruly momentum that could easily get a crowd going.
On “#again,” which stretches past four minutes, the experiment takes a more hypnotic turn. Cyclical loops reinforce the feeling of repetition, while pronounced side-chain compression makes the beat seem to breathe around the vocals. It is a restless effect, even when the pattern keeps returning.
Across “Dead Fortune,” distorted bass, melodic haze, grunge grit, and rhythmic aggression jostle for room. YUNG MAS seldom tidies up the friction, and the rough edges are exactly where the record finds its character.
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