Album Review: Urthboy - Smokey’s Haunt

From his humble beginnings in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Tim Levinson aka Urthboy's newest release Smokey's Haunt has scaled even greater heights for this talented emcee, who now at age 30 seems to have found a balance of maturity and creativity in a perfect mix that makes this album an absolute blast.

Straight from them opening track Stories, Urthboy's trademark catchy hooks, storytelling prowess, succinct humour and contemplative thought processes are on display - the driving force behind this record. The production values are also very sound, having been co-produced by Hermitude and Countbounce, who have teamed up for the first time to produce Urthboy's best work to date.

While the album seems to get better by the track, the stand-outs of the release would be Knee Length Socks, which features easily the catchiest beat on the album and lyrics that resonate with the youth of today: “I was never caught by the fuzz while I was still on a buz/A bit before I dabbled with drugs/Pills, thrills, bellyaches, E's and whiz/Whatever it takes to medicate, please a swig”. On The Big Sleep, Urthboy tells the tragic story of an 87 year-old woman who was found upstairs in her Sydney home eight years after she had died, the song also featuring the guest vocals of Sparkadia's Alex Burnett in an emotional and truly spine-tingling track.

From start to finish, Urthboy's Smokey's Haunt takes you on a journey through the strain of light and darkness and is a triumphant release that is sure to set the bar extremely high for Australian hip hop releases in the future.