You know, everyone is putting out beat tapes these days. Clams Casino. Constrobuz. That dude from Wavves has that Sweet Valley beat-making side project. Basically every release on Astro Nautico. It’s like this medium that used to be circulated around, picked apart, and repurposed is suddenly being released to the general public as albums, and standing up surprisingly well considering we’ve been trained to expect some mad lyrical poetry over beats this good.
“For What It’s Worth,” from Portland’s Tough Fuzz, is one of the most complete non-rapped beats I’ve heard. With some serious Good Vibration orchestration, it progresses like it’s split into movements rather than verses and choruses. It throws every knob twist, twirl, and click at you along the way, and when that perfect beat fades in at the end, bouncing like a bunch of kids jumping on a trampoline, I just want it to last forever, but it fades as quickly as the summer sun.
While everyone is putting out mixtapes and playlists to try and keep the summer alive, maybe this one is coming out at the perfect time to top off all the summer vibes and to put all this beach-obsessed pop music back into the bedroom in the comfort of air conditioning and the glow of the computer screen.
Listen to “For What It’s Worth” below and look for the full tape in September on Portland’s EWE OF NOW RECORDS.
• Tough Fuzz: http://toughfuzz.bandcamp.com
More about: Tough Fuzz
