In 2017, rap duo Default Universe released an album titled “Deep Swim.” They’re making the rounds now, but how does it hold up today?

My first listen to “Deep Swim” didn’t leave me too impressed. There are a few things which I will mention that I feel need to be improved or addressed. However, my second and third listens were much more revealing to the artistry layered beneath the surface.

There is a consistently spacey, retro theme throughout the project. Each beat Coupled with the mellow, seemingly emotionless flows from Ice Peccinetti and Milofuk0, the listener is given a unique musical experience that would be hard to replicate by anyone. These two are truly passionate artists, and the care for their craft is very evident in every track.

However, there are a lot of samples, and although this is in no way a problem, the duration, splicing, and mixing of some of these samples are not done ideally. For instance, there is a sample of the old Batman theme song, and it essentially just rolls through the whole thing. At least twice I figured it would have ended and felt complete, but instead it went on and on. There are other samples throughout the project that also feel a bit too long, and others that are spliced kind of awkwardly, but none that rival the Batman theme song. Another thing that could have been done better was the mixing and leveling of what I believe is a reverse 808 kick drum. It doesn’t sound bad, it just drowns out the vocals and is a little too sharp on the ears. Other than those two things, I feel the production of the project is very very strong.

As far as the lyrics go, I wasn’t super impressed initially. They tend to use off beat rhyme schemes, and due to how uncommon that style is, it comes off as a lack of skill at first. The more I listened, though, the more I realized that the majority of their bars are oozing with creativity and style. the rhymes themselves are not all that impressive, but the delivery is just that.

My final thoughts on the album are that the mixing needs a little bit of work, the writing is unique, and the production is solid. I wouldn’t say that “Deep Swim” is a classic, but is at least worth a listen.

Highlights: Production, Flow

Rating: 6/10

Check out the Default Universe website, and their Simple Statements clothing line.

Source: UndergroundHipHopBlog.com