Album Review: OXBLOOD

On October 11th, ANoyd released his first solo album since 2018 “OXBLOOD”. If you haven’t listened to this project yet I would strongly advise that you press play. OXBLOOD is one of the standouts for the year 2022.

Photo: Soundcloud.com

The short and concise piece clocking in at just under half an hour is jam packed with substance, stellar writing, and riveting subject material that effortlessly holds your attention for the duration of the project. During an era where we get bloated project after bloated project with deluxe versions sometimes giving albums 30+ songs, ANoyd goes against the current meta by just giving us these quick 9 songs. His message was much better understood rather than albums that have 35 tracks with no real direction. Longer form albums certainly have their place in hip-hop but ANoyd gives us everything needed in just 9 tracks.

The level of introspection within this record is almost too masterfully disguised as it is weaved between some of the best wordplay and metaphors typically provided. Anoyd flexes his muscles as a word smith all over this project with tons of witty punchlines that makes this project better and better the more you relisten. I was constantly catching new bars even on my second and third listen. All of the literary devices that ANoyd uses to makes his music that much more compelling, and doesn't take anything away from the sonics or the artistry of the song. There is no sacrifice of good sounding music in order to fit a fire bar into a place where it doesnt belong.

Another standout aspect of the album was the world class production. The beats throughout the project saw some rock influence, which is an interesting style to mesh with ANoyd’s hip-hop dynamics. This was well incorporated by the mind behind the production on this album, JP on the track. Each beat feels different while still flowing together to tell a cohesive story through not only lyrics but sound as well.

The only feature on the album, comes from fellow CT native, Chris Webby. Coming from a single released in 2020, “Orangutang” which is ironically releasing on the album right before Chris Webby dropped another track named after an animal "Elephant" on October 19th which also featured ANoyd. This song should immediately be added to any and all gym playlists due to everything from the beat to the lyrics, this is definitely a strong addition to the album.

My favorite song on the album is “Unicorn”. Unicorn was also released in 2020 where Anoyd delivers outstanding vocals, while he plays with the ideas of childhood and superstitions. He then takes those ideas and turns it into an emotional ballad that comes right in the middle of the project which perfectly sets the stage for the second half of the album. Even though some of the songs on this album were made years ago it was my first time hearing them and ANoyd still does a good job of making sure this project does not seem disjointed in any way.

OXBLOOD by ANoyd is a solid addition to his catalog. OXBLOOD should be acclaimed as one of the best and most cohesive projects of the year, genuinely one that I thoroughly enjoyed. OXBLOOD is the perfect blend we all needed to start stack season. If you haven't sourced yourself with the Connecticut lyricist this would be the perfect introduction for you.