Mudd the Student - “G-LOC”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 10

Pairs Well With…Jay Park, JPEGMAFIA, Balming Tiger

Listening through Mudd the Student’s wild 2021 EP Field Trip, it’s quickly clear who is the sonic risk taker in Korean pop/hip hop band Balming Tiger. Nu metal, funk, indie rock, sunny pop - not only does Mudd genre-hop track to track, he does it a bunch within his songs, like fragments of music stuck together with scotch tape. That musical ADD lets Mudd the Student cover a ton a space with upmost efficiency as Field Trip is over in just over ten minutes. Rapping and singing in Korean, Mudd’s lyrics are a mystery to English ears but no matter, the expressiveness of his fusion-pop catalog is powerful enough to wow an international audience come SXSW 2022. Mudd the Student showcases as a solo artist Saturday night at Reina + ReyRey as part of “Balming Tiger: Joyful Delivery”, but expect a collaborative environment as the entire showcase consists of each member of Balming Tiger before the band closes out the night as one. (Kevin McStravick)