With "Scrawlings" Max Moon is not only laying down rhymes, he's also carving a bigger niche for himself in the Canadian hip-hop scene. As the second single off his debut album "The Grand Howl" "Scrawlings" is a self-produced flex that pairs gritty introspection with heavy-footed swagger.
In typical Max Moon fashion, he makes up the rules as he goes along and creates his legend. Set atop trap-and-bongo drums, accented by dusty vinyl loops, "Scrawlings" is both futuristic and thoughtful, a paradox that somehow makes perfect sense. You can feel the care that went into this production, it feels lived-in and cracked open, like a confession broadcast from a broken boombox. Max is relentless. He delivers a rapid-fire stream of consciousness, alternating between poetic self-reflection and sharp-eyed grit. You get the feeling that this is more than just rap, it's survival, scribbled in the margins of a sleepless night. And just when you were starting to catch your breath, along comes Ultra Magnus like a charisma wrecking ball. His verses rush ahead with the reckless charm and loose-belt delivery that fans of Hand'Solo Records have learned to love. The chemistry between the two is electric, a collaboration rather than a feature, a cyclone rather than a duet.
The track comes with a song-length remix of itself, a self-produced version that distorts the original into a funhouse mirror. It's violins and stomping boom-snap drums that detract from the song's feel, making it something much darker and great. It's not quite a barroom, so much as a back alley. And it hits just as hard.