Paris Texas - ‘RökKOut’
Rocking out with a reason, Paris Texas refuse to pull their punches on their new single release ‘RökKOut’.
Announced this week to be a support-act for hip-hop ringleader, Tyler the Creator’s Chromakopia tour, the ballistic duo Paris Texas are evidently riding the crest of a wave. Furthered along by the well-received, dynamite debut album Mid Air, the alternative hip-hop group have seized the opportunity to courier their unique brand of music into the trajectory of a larger audience. Like their debut album, this new single RökKOut dabbles with immensely, iconic sounds that are glued together with purring guitar riffs and erratic loops. RökKOut, as its uniquely, umlaut-coated title signposts, is a track ignorant of convention, yet stylistically self-aware of the hedonistic hunger of fellow, contemporary hip-hop artists.
Both Felix and Louie Pastel’s swagger is infinitely evident as the track begins, as it contests with the snake-charming, syncopated, Arabic influenced beat that refuses to diminish until the closing seconds of the song. First impressions dictate that this looping rhythm is less than the sum of it’s parts, however, as we grow to give it further opportunities, the oscillating beat becomes impressively furnished with an oily, lucidity that is a reminder of late-90s, early 2000s R&B bangers. Comparatively, the lyrics sermonized by the duo are deft, yet wrought with a weighty, sybaritic focus on the pleasures of living a life of lavish standards. Unabashed, the song conjures up concerns surrounding the labyrinthine lives lived by those caught up in the crosshairs of fame. “Life a maze, I'm amazed that I made it through,” is an example of the few, forked and thoughtful lines that hibernate within the track, whilst other bars are teeming with thrift-shop hooks that duck and dive, yet sometimes pack little punch. Yes, at moments, or on the surface, the track is stifled by predictable, muffled lyrics, however, it is the nature of the duo to demolish stereotypes through satire. As they do with the hypnotic, cobra-wrangling beats, they are adept craftsmen when it comes to using talismanic aspects of ‘traditional,’ hip-hop to tip the scales.
Far removed from the abrasive, scouring-pad sound of 2023 track ‘Panic,’ this song foams with softer, more voluptuous sonic moments. Their lassoing lyrics are kited by hedonistic punch-lines that pinball with some added smartness, yet this has often been a consistent characteristic of the duo. On this track, both Louie Pastel and Felix evidence their ability to notch down the rich, yet rogue elements and do something more. At the tail end of the track, Felix cathartically decompresses, as he adorns a vulnerable voice to poke at his own experiences with the dreaded maw of fame. Thorny, angular introspections about the detrimental consequences of fame on the body and spirit, - “every drop of pain”, “my ears smokin”, “veins feel like they ‘bout to pop”, “my skin boilin’”, “more blood than sweat and tears”, all offer examples of the molecular or perhaps metaphysical violence afflicted on those sparring with stardom. Arguably, the latter phase of this track augments the overall character of it, splintering away from the thumping textures of the opening.
Where Paris Texas choose to march on is unavailable for us to determine, like them, their enigmatic nature can be hard to pin down or define. A giant step this track is not, however it is a ticket to a remarkably enjoyable destination.
Words by Josh Mabbutt
