Clara WangWalkingshoe’s second EP “The Future Will Kill You” is best consumed sitting in a New-Age circle surrounded by a cloud of ambiguous smoke. Although I’m not too sure about the EP “exploring the nature of existence,” as the website claims, the sheer ethereal prettiness of the production makes it worth the listen.
A combination of floating chants, choppy beats, and smooth spitting, this EP would be a great soundtrack to a stage production of Dante’s “Inferno,” or a road trip to Reno.
The album opens with “Nora,” featuring yU, where Walkingshoe meets a mermaid underwater. This mermaid plays the role of Virgil and guides him through the journey of the next track, “Circled for me & Kelvin.”
In “Van Gogh,” featuring Greg Grease, the confines of your mind are explored and the question is posed: “Are you living sublime or just wasting your time?” We descend into the depths of the album with chopped-up snares and choral harmonies in “Portions of God Twice,” then are entrapped in a stream-of-consciousness in “Figments,” featuring Frank Leone.
The album closes out with eerie harp strums that leave confused chills in the air, especially since it follows “No One There,” featuring Has-Lo and Defcee, who proclaim, “You wouldn’t understand it/you a mortal.” On nights your eyes are too red for more Netflix, “The Future Will Kill You” makes for an existential date with Mary Jane.