In June, New Jersey rapper Lewis Allen struck an uncommon balance with his single “Drugs In Her Eyes,” using extremely minimalist production and vocal affects to paint a violently sexual portrait of an affair steeped in addiction. The effect of such stripped back arrangement was an eery atmosphere created by the absence of elements that one might typically consider “atmospheric.”
While new single “La Maquina” doesn’t quite recapture the chilled reservation of “Drugs In Her Eyes,” it’s suitably cold—music and pared down music that feels inspired by characters like Patrick Bateman (his sociopathy and sexual appetite, if not his taste in music). It’s a challenging listen lyrically, mostly for its unflinching disdain for women (which feels more thematic than literal). For all its harshness, “La Maquina” acknowledges the ugliness of its underlying character: “I’ve been a monster.”
