JESSWAR - “WAVES”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…Sampa the Great, Leikeli47, Little Simz

Not quite pop-centered and not quite experimental, JESSWAR finds tight middle ground on LIFE’S SHORT, LIVE BIG, the Australian artist’s first full-length. JESSWAR’s rap style is conversational, but not necessarily understated, confident yet still laid back. Influenced by both trap and UK hip hop modes, JESSWAR succeeds at sounding familiar while crafting a self-defined palette. This theme of balance plays into her beats as well, mid-tempo planes for JESSWAR to ramp up and ramp down with control in mind. Lyrically, JESSWAR moves from personal and reflective to bigger social themes both distinct to her Fijian background and universal, all this while keeping a fun bounce across the record’s twelve tracks. LIFE’S SHORT, LIVE BIG is worth a full listen to catch the subtly shifts in genre and JESSWAR’s inherent talent that should only grow from here. (Kevin McStravick)