Album Review: Seth Sentry - This Was Tomorrow

While his cronies 360 and Pez may have established a new era of hip hop in Australia (for better or worse), Seth Sentry stands alone on the landscape as his name suggests he should. He is a lyrical story-teller, he avoids the trap of ridiculous American-style bravado that just sounds stupid in a local accent, but also steers away from the emo-rap that 360 and Pez are mining for all it's worth.

He almost seems to address this straight out the gates on the first track Campfire, with references to having a hole in his bucket – his deadpan delivery is basically reaching out for the positive, and not letting the negative day to day get in the way. The production is out of control on the track – it jumps from a guitar heavy rock section, to an electro section like a mash up. It's busy, but the risks make something unique by cobbling together disparate elements. The production is really song-based across the album, lots of guitars and other organic instruments, he steers away from the boom bap typical '90s-inspired beats that are all too prevalent. Sentry's effortless lyrics are often humorous, like when he gets mad at science for depriving him of a Hoverboard, but even when he's serious, it's not heavy or self-indulgent. 

This Was Tomorrow is a landmark Australian hip hop record; Sentry's voice is a unique one in a genre still struggling to find its own in a confused environment. He may not know what his scene is exactly, but that could be the reason he's conquering new ground. He probably doesn't even know he is.