They Can’t Kill Us All (EP) - AGDYNASTY (Hip Hop) For this week’s EP review we have newcomer to our blog AGDYNASTY with his 7-track project “They Can’t Kill Us All”, a story of love and revolution.
Arun Gopal (aka AGDYNASTY), a Georgian born music producer, saxophonist and child of Indian immigrants, draws his inspiration from movie soundtracks, giving him a cinematic sensibility when it comes to his soundscapes. He is also born of the Atlanta trap scene, which blends with his other inspirations into an eclectic style all his own. AGDYNASTY began his musical journey in 2016 with concept projects 404 Bladerunner and Convergence, collaborating with local artists on the independent and underground scene. A few years later he collaborated with Mr. Wildenfree on two joint albums, which were released alongside AGDYNASTY’s debut album, “Pyramid of Atlanta”, a concept project portraying a cyberpunk Atlanta.
“They Can’t Kill Us All” assembles a full roster of featured vocalists to bring seven cinematic tracks to life, creating a project that feels less like a collection of singles and more like an ambient experience. The work ebbs and flows from track to track, often finding itself in hypnotic, atmospheric mid tempos that create otherworldly vibes. While the rap flows are hypermodern, with a few standout performances among them, the instrumentals bridge decades, with 80s inspired fuzzy synths often providing the foundation of the records.
The project kicks off with “CAMPAIGN”, a bombastic track assembling a supergroup of features, whose synth strings underlay a thudding 808 and trap percussion arrangement. The entire event feels like a coronation taking place in a cavernous throne room as AGDYNASTY and company announces their arrival. The cadence of the flows are modern, while the beat harkens back to early Kanye.
“KALI” slides into a mid tempo groove with swirling synths creating a mystical ambience. A reedy tuned baritone leads the vocals with a sultry R&B vibe. It’s a sexy track—a certified bedroom jam. From there, “KILLERS & REBELS” moves into more dangerous territory with an ominous chime, growling bass and monstrous vocal effects. The beat goes hard—a sharp turn from the smoother “KALI”—which again brings us to Kanye, this time “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”.
“S.O.S.” brings us back into the smoother territory with our favorite beat of the project. The hook revolves around a pitched down vocal cutting through a miasma of undulating synths to create a trippy, hypnotic atmosphere. The synths in “SIGNS” pull us into 80s/Stranger Things territory underlaying a standout vocal performance that showcases a unique and captivating flow. Our vocalist here delivers a very close and intimate performance like a whisper over the shoulder, creeping into the listener’s ear for a very hypnotic feeling.
Penultimate track ‘ANDOR” continues that 80s synth sound and adds that familiar cowbell and moog inspired bass. Themes of outer space are sprinkled through the lyrics, which is fitting as the beat is nebulous, taking the listener on a trip through the cosmos in AGDYNASTY’s most cinematic feeling track on the project. We close with title track “THEY CAN’T KILL US ALL” which continues AGDYNASTY’s 80s salute with sparkling synth keys and plucks before a 90s dance percussion arrangement leaps us a decade forward, soon to be joined by house inspired keys. It’s an extremely eclectic instrumental outro and sendoff focusing solely on AGDYNASTY’s production prowess.
TRACKS:
CAMPAIGN
KALI
KILLERS & REBELS
S.O.S.
SIGNS
ANDOR
THEY CAN’T KILL US ALL