This is a long overdue post I’ve been meaning to write for months about one of my favorite local acts, Oddience.
This LA trio consisting of rapper/producer Tulip Pezley and sibling singer/MCs Eddington Again and Miche Maya, crashed onto my radar for about a year and half ago with their track, “Smile“.
Honestly, how can you listen to this song and not feel good? It’s the perfect title for an incredible track.
A re-recorded version of “Smile” is included on Oddience‘s debut album, “Um, Yes You Can”, which was recently self-released and is available as a free download on their Soundcloud page.
Oddience has its own unique voice, but there’s an air of familiarity to their music that also makes them super accessible. Pez’s beats and lyrical delivery are imbued with a definite late 90’s-early 00’s indie rap sensibility; Eddington (who is also the vocalist of another local group I’m very high on called PRJCTS) has a sing-songy flow sometimes reminiscent of post-Aquemini Andre 3000, that’s always entertaining and sounds so loose that I sometimes feel like he’s perilously close to falling off the rails; Miche is the group’s foil and the secret sauce that gives Oddience its distinct flavor.
Add it all together and Um, Yes You Can is a thrilling debut by a group that I have high hopes for in 2014 and beyond.
Oddience will be appearing at The Mint LA on February 19th and are gearing up to do a full-on tour of both coasts later this year.
Stream the album below. (warning: some profanity)