Alternative rap duo Craterface today share their sophomore release, the confessional mixtape BURN AFTER LISTENING. Listen HERE.

Rarely do titles come more bodacious or attention-grabbing than that of Craterface’s second mixtape. Its three words embody the all-caps catharsis of the duo’s deeply personal second full-length. BURN AFTER LISTENING is an instruction, a promise, a statement of intent that says here in your hands, you hold a piece of art so potent, so all-consuming, so loaded with confession and packed with every fibre of the artists’ souls that it becomes impossible to wash off. The only appropriate response is to sit, reflect and, finally, burn after listening. 

Craterface wouldn’t have it any other way. The longtime creative partnership of rapper baby bruh and producer/vocalist Taki Local simply don’t do things in half-measures, pouring the entirety of themselves into their music, allowing listeners to piece through their brand of impassioned alt-hip hop and take what they will. “It’s so easy for us”,Taki Local says of the creative connection that exists between them; “I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else”,baby bruh concludes. The fervent devotion they inspire is second only to the group’s own commitment to leave-everything-out-there sincerity, egoless creative expression and authenticity.

Together they reflect, “This tape is the culmination of an emotional year, but at its core is about the power of spirituality and the effect that has on people who consider themselves just cogs in the wheel. The fact the creation of this tape took us both on a genuine, authentic spiritual path is more valuable than anything else, and we will never forget the strength it holds in that regard. Listen to this tape at whatever volume you please, and do so in the sun.”

BURN AFTER LISTENING is in some ways, a quintessential sophomore release: challenging and yet more rewarding than its predecessor, more spiritually fulfilling for its creators. Where Craterface’s debut mixtape DON’T BE CONFUSED was a smorgasbord of pop-adjacedent hip hop, its follow-up is a more concentrated effort at honing in a particular aesthetic and style. This time gravitating towards lo-fi, introspective New York rap, gritty mid-2000s hip hop and the anarchy of hyper-pop. At the same time, this release expands the duo’s creative universe outwards, drawing a cast of hand-selected artists into their strictly-in-house collaborative studios, including Alt Rap Health Clinic tour-mates Shady Nasty on second single ‘ORIGAMI’ and Rhode Island producer-rapper Jair on opening track, ‘JAIR MALEEK DELGADO’. 

Musing on themes of religion, spirituality, heartbreak, self-improvement and the cyclical nature of life, BURN AFTER LISTENING centres the confessional nature of baby bruh’s lyricism, while Taki Local’s production matches that fragmented energy with a boundarylessness mania reminiscent of SOPHIE or JPEGMAFIA. Already a singular act in the Australian music landscape, BURN AFTER LISTENING represents Craterface’s contribution to a new strand of hip hop in this country, one which is decidedly more insular, introspective and emotionally, creatively and stylistically innovative too. 

BURN AFTER LISTENING by Craterface is out now, buy/stream it here.

Artwork by Connor Dewhurst.

TRACKLIST
JAIR MALEEK DELGADO FT. JAIR
BURNT OUT
ORIGAMI FT. SHADY NASTY
SHOW LOVE
BREATHE DEEP
BIG WHEELIN’
4 DOOR
PLASTIC
PICK UP YOUR STUFF
SHE’S GONE
CHECK ON ME FT. KEVIN DW
A GOD IS IN US ALL

TOUR DATES
Thu Nov 5 – The Cambridge – Newcastle
Fri Nov 6 – La La Lah’s – Wollongong
Fri Nov 20 – Mary’s Underground – Sydney
Thu Dec 3 – Mary’s Underground Sydney

Tickets available here.

PRAISE FOR CRATERFACE

DON’T BE CONFUSED
FBi Radio Packet Album

“A proper firestarter”
NME Australia

“Temper futuristic pop with roaring hip-hop”
Bandcamp

“Carving their lane emphatically in 2020”
Dave Ruby Howe, triple j Unearthed

“Burning a new path in hip hop experimentation”
Newcastle Herald

“There’s nothing quite like it in Australia at the moment”
Pilerats

Stay connected with Craterface:
Facebook | Instagram | Youtube | Soundcloud | Bandcamp | triple j Unearthed