Drain Gang have teamed up for the trance inducing, cloud rap masterpiece project “Trash Island”. Featuring Drain Gang’s CEO Bladee, Ecco 2k, and Thaiboy Digital with producers by White armor and co-production including Mechatok and Lusi. The project sums up the talents of each individual artist while showing how well they blend together. It’s no understatement that they dominate their genre, sending chill and shoe gazing vibes in every track while still having high energy tracks.
The first track, 1:1, starts off strong featuring the cloud rap Legend himself, Yung Lean coming in after Ecco2k’s angelic high-pitched auto tuned voice that we all love, then mixing in with Thaiboy’s slower monotoned voice. The mix of high and low pitched voices and synth pad instrumental creates the signature Drain Gang vibe and starts the project strong.
The rest of the album can be summed up into fast and slow paced tracks, like 30th floor with Bladee and Thaiboy, Waterfall which features all 3 members, and The Void. We’re hit with a mix of different synth instruments and varying vocal ranges and some quaking 808s sprinkled in. the formula is the same but feels so different in every track. Bladee’s slower and more monotoned voice yet transitions to a mix of both Bladee, Ecco2k, and Thaiboy’s vocal with higher pitched auto tune is truly a great combination.
We then transition faster more high energy tracks like Victim, which we also got visuals with it, Western Union, Acid Rain, and You Lose.
Victim borders being a dance track and a shoe gazer and shows through the track and the visual the creative differences between the three members. It also how they can come together to make a cohesive sound with the same vibe throughout the track
Western Union is reminiscent of video games both lyrically and with the beat even hiding a small reference to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Its fast, its fun, and it’s a good track to energize the right crowd.
Acid Rain varies from slow to fast, starting somewhere in the middle with blade then transitioning to a solo Ecco chorus speeding up the tempo. The changing point is the duet of both Bladee and Ecco with a burst of energy from both the vocals and beat. The last track You lose shares the same fast and slow tempo. This track brings a good close to the album with all three members having a spot. Their high-pitched vocals and airy beats remind us of why they are legends of soundcloud and the cloud rap scene.