Teezo Touchdown emerged from the woodwork in late 2019, the polymath going on to release a slew of excellent singles, but 2021 saw him appear on Tyler The Creator’s acclaimed record ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’, and a feature on Travis Scott’s ‘UTOPIA’ landed this year too, spurring Teezo to new heights. And between appearances on Marc Jacobs campaigns and Kenny Beats’ ‘The Cave’ series, Teezo Touchdown has been slowly building toward his debut record, the result being a brilliantly dizzying melting pot of genre and sonic identity.
Calling ‘How Do You Sleep At Night?’ a hip-hop record would be reductive. Yes, Teezo Touchdown has excellent abilities as a rapper, but where this record thrives is in its colourful and creative songwriting production, its completely disregard for the concept of genre. Pop punk leaning moments like ‘OK’ are undeniable doses of fun, Teezo rapping over nostalgic noughties instrumental, pastiche becoming an excuse to enjoy oneself.
Much of Teezo Touchdown’s debut record toy with hip-hop crashing into genres it isn’t traditionally associated with, such as the gentle indie rock flair of ‘Impossible’ or the thrashy punk of ‘Too Easy’. As a vocalist Teezo is also behaving as a chameleon, laying down sharp rap verses just as comfortably as he is taking a more melodic, sung route – or embarking on banshee-like yells over raucous and distorted production. It feels like he is using ‘How Do You Sleep At Night?’ as an opportunity to prove himself, to show the world his abilities and talents as a creative, the entire record a showcase of Teezo’s versatility and innovation.
‘How Do You Sleep At Night?’ is a solid debut, a multifaceted foundation that Teezo Touchdown is sure to spring from. The record boasts some great production and a genre-less style that for some may lack cohesion, but on a debut record like this it allows Teezo to follow any sonic path he desires in the future.
8/10
Words: James Mellen
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