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Reviewed by Jack Woodbury

Louie Knuxx: Tiny Warm Hearts

Reviewed by Jack Woodbury

Louie Knuxx: Tiny Warm Hearts

Louie Knuxx’s first full-length, streamable release since 2014’s ‘PGT/GRR’ is a sonically-tighter continuation of the latter’s cloudy palette. The Houston-influence is evident across these 12 tracks, mixed and mastered by Bee Dub StudiosDan “Exile” Mawby. Trappy percussion, heavily-reverberated hooks and samples, and massive sub-bass are plentiful. The effort sees Knuxx spit for the tape’s 46 minutes over what becomes a rather monochromatic atmosphere. Especially problematic is the amount of filler, including the closing P.H.F remix of Cold And Dead Heart Stealing which features an unlistenably overblown bassline. Production-wise ‘Tiny Warm Hearts’ suffers for mostly placing Knuxx fairly low in the mix, drawing more attention to beat than his lyrics; especially as his gritty, breathy vocality would better suit more body. Moments like the hook on album highlight YARP, act as a demonstration of what-could-be. With a well-treated vocal performance, a catchy chant of a hook and a well-chosen beat, YARP is a brief, urban-radio-ready flash of fun. The title track and Mercury Plaza are the album’s strongest songs, featuring smooth slow-jam beats that compliment Knuxx’s laid-back flow, which elsewhere feels unnatural over excited trap instrumentals. In the long run, the album fails to set Louie Knuxx apart from the masses of online trap rappers; its entertaining moments plagued by a little too much sub-par content.