EP REVIEW: TOORARETODIE ‘Once Pure’

"...the EP touches on all the styles that the group's collective sound encompasses..."
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Every now and again a collective come around and offer something different that makes people think “why weren’t we doing that before!?” TOORARETODIE aka TRTD are that group and their debut EP is that offering.

Having listened to TRTD’s first few forays into the UK urban music scene over the course of 2014 and having been impressed by tracks such as the hauntingly-perfect yet undoubtedly-raw ‘Uno’, I was eagerly anticipating the first EP from this collective of rappers and producers hailing from West and North West London. With the group having recently shared the video for ‘Electric Forest’, the second track on the EP, the benchmark had been set as to what we could expect to hear from the rest of the four track release.

Opening track ‘Symmetry’ showcases what has become the groups trademark bassy, atmospheric sound, clinging to the foundations of rap and hip hop whilst also managing to throw itself down an experimental route, creating a hugely enjoyable, unique soundscape. Opening with the lyrics “I’m missing you / not the spiritual, it’s the physical and the things we do / maybe that’s typical but is it though, cos I’m into you / maybe you’re into me / maybe we’re history / but these broken mirrors don’t reflect our true symmetry” demonstrates the talent that TRTD have in terms of writing and exploring themes that many artists are singing/rapping about, but doing it in a hugely personal and skilled manner.

Produced by Denjeezy, the dark, spectral beat on ‘Electric Forests’ showcases the quality of production that TRTD bring to the table and merged with L.Martin and Ricky Ramsey’s vocals bears resemblance to the gritty and dark sounds of UK rapper CASisDEAD, one of the UK’s most talented underground artists. ‘Frozen Pools’ offers a different feel to the rest of the EP with Purp’s vocal hook breaking up Ramsey and Stash’s verses combined with a more spacey, far-out beat, produced by Ricky Ramsey, than we hear on the rest of the release. That different feel is a very welcome one and ensures that the EP touches on all the styles that the group’s collective sound encompasses, allowing each member of TRTD to exhibit their individual talents.

With references to Harry Potter’s magic cloak and UK garage, the group are clearly influenced by their surroundings, but relationships are the biggest influence on this EP by far, with each track containing lyrics on the subject. ‘Thin Lines’, which begins with an epic 1 minute 42 second piano intro to set the tone for what is the final track on the EP, sees L. Martin describe his relationship, skillfully building a picture with his words and maintaining the EP’s continuous subject matter, “we argue like we sex / a little back n forth, back n forth and when your back’s against the wall is when I press / patient, waiting to react / communication’s what I lack / but I’m vocal with the vocab when I lay you on your back”.

The only disappointment with Once Pure is that there are only four tracks…and that says a lot. Bringing such a refreshing sound to a genre where up & coming artists are often accused of mimicking their predecessors, I struggle to think of an artist or group whom TRTD can be directly likened to. Yes – there are other rappers in the scene who are just as talented. Yes – there are other producers making great rap beats. But when you get the combination right and find your individual voice amongst the thousands of voices within the UK urban scene, that has got to be respected and there’s no denying that that is exactly what TRTD have done with their debut EP.

Matt Tarr
@MattTarrJourno

Matt Tarr

Matt Tarr

Urban Music Editor
With grime and hip hop being major influences on him growing up in South East London, Matt's passion is urban music but over the years he has gathered a hugely diverse taste, ranging from Wiley to The Smiths by way of Machine Head, that has made him a very open minded individual.
Matt Tarr