Mixtape Review-Till The End of Summer by Villz

By Dan-O

The post-Weeknd world of R&B can feel narcissistic and slimy. It’s often the reveling and recollecting of nefarious activities involving drugs, violence, and sex. Even the guilt espoused feels like a bit of brag. ALL THESE WOMEN ALL THIS MONEY; IS THIS LIFE? The weight of the content can crush the fun of the music and maybe this should have been the case with Till The End of Summer but it isn’t.

All eight tracks are soaked in autotune and party/post party confession but it works. The Cycle sets the stage elaborating on the addiction to pursuing a party that never ends. Part of what makes the project so special is how snugly each song fits into the next. Villz never sings to impress with Whitney Houston scale jumping. 420AM starts where The Cycle leaves off with the party in full effect and drunk digressions about women and his relation to them as well as his friends.

The positive side of the Weeknd phenomena is that it allows grungy dog dudes living a grungy dog lifestyle to be honest about it rather than trying to write uplifting love songs from a sexed up drug haze. By Myself feels all the way real and raw with frank emotional discussion about violence “I didn’t shoot you wear you stood….yes compassion makes me weak I look back as you flee, the N’s I came with ain’t me” in a way Villz wouldn’t be able to accomplish if he was trying to do shirt off in the rain R&B. The nonsense voicemail skit at the end of the song can be skipped.

The vibe on Till The End of Summer is intoxicating (see Shooter) which keeps it so listenable. I had to listen to it several times before I could recall lyrics. Villz makes hooks that don’t overpower the lyrics or tapestry of layered sound he spits over. It’s a marvelously unified presentation by someone I had never heard of; which could probably be said for most of my favorite mixtapes this year.

The high point of Till The End of Summer is Break Up Song (Break The Rules is so good though) which really showcases the unique writing style of Villz who is great at saying important things with very blunt phrasing like “We don’t want to play no games. I’m a simple person. F#$% me good and I’ll call you again.” When he croons “she stay trippin’ on some simple sh$t” the emotion is still there in his voice even through the croaking robot effects. He charges the words with the sadness he needs them to have.

Making something short succinct and flawless is a great calling card. Villz seems to have an eye for quality control and a big picture ability to structure his thoughts. Eight songs wouldn’t usually cover this kind of ground; from gun violence to dependency. I hope he keeps the people who helped him make this (William Wolf, Ducko McFli, Syksense, Sage Tune, and Mike Ewing) so he can build on it.

stream or download Till The End of Summer below:
http://www.datpiff.com/Villz-Til-The-End-Of-Summer-mixtape.668352.html