Photo by Alex Zarek
Throughout the last decade, the subgenre of emo rap has seen lots of faces come and go. One artist that has always remained a constant throughout the highs and lows of it is Rob O'Brien better known for his project dying in designer. While many faces having switched genres, quit their musical projects, or in more extreme cases many of the household names of the scene passing away (X, Peep, Juice, etc), O’Brien has stuck it out for many years and has managed to fill that void that this subgenre of music has needed since many others have left. With that said, the next step in his career seemed like an inevitable shift. It seems that it’s finally time to expand the sound, and there is no denying that this darker wave of hip hop was brought up on nu-metal. Citing Slipknot and Linkin Park as heavy influences for this brand new track, it is truly an exciting time to be a dying in designer fan.
The new track is titled ‘Evil Eyes’, and if you’re a fan of both subgenres of nu-metal and emo rap, this is indeed your new favorite song. If not permanent, at the very least O'Brien temporarily holds off on the sub 808s and trappy kick snare patterns, and what stands in its place is explosive breakdowns and guitar driven instrumentation. While it’s hard to believe how many years have passed since the Hopeless Records distributed debut album ‘Nobody’s Happy’ dropped, as well as the sequel that came out last fall, one can argue that the shift in sound is welcomed. The shift undeniably allows O’Brien to go back to the roots of his inspirations that he surely loved when he was younger. as well as a great representation as to what the future will hold for him. Not to mention, dying in designer is now officially an independent project, operating under the grip of a record label no more.
Lyrically, the track reflects big on emotional turmoil and heavy trauma, which makes the heavy instrumentation compliment each other nicely. The song talks about being drawn to self-destruction and focusing on something or someone that will absolutely ruin you, something which all of us are sure to relate to.
Fans that appreciate the meshing of the new wave of heavy rock music will greatly appreciate this. When O’Brien brings certain aspects of genre bending that brings ounces of pop punk, nu metal, emo, metalcore, and hip hop altogether, you get the idea that he is coming more and more into his own with each release. The imperative attention that dying in designer deserves to have cannot be overstated.
