A musical appetizer

Just to start with something off the top, The Prelude by Pink Sweat$ is an EP with a slightly confusing name. In the past, Pink Sweat$ followed a naming convention with his previous two EPs, those being 2018’s Volume One and 2019’s Volume Two. And that makes it a little confusing when this new EP is known as The Prelude. Is this a prequel to the other two? Is this the start of something else, a prologue of a new story arc for the Philly artist? Whichever one it is, this is a good EP.

The Prelude has an undeniable groove to it, established as early as the very first measure of the first song “Give It To Me.” The track strikes a strong balance between a consistent funk people can really settle into and a light, almost summery tone that helps the listener feel at ease with the sweet melody. It sounds like the kind of song that might play at the beginning of a film, set the stage for the plot to come. Like the other songs featured on The Prelude, one could easily describe “Give It To Me” as relaxed.

While the sounds may be relaxed, the lyrics evoke some pretty heavy, passionate emotions. In the final track “Lows,” Pink Sweat$ expresses a commitment so deep he claims to be willing to die for the other person. He also emphasizes being there for the other person even in his “lowest lows,” which, combined with the amount of times he throws around the word ‘forever,’ really demonstrates the emotional gravity he’s going for.

Emotions also run high in the EP’s perhaps least relaxed track “Not Alright.” The beat is almost harsh, kicking in a way that no other track on The Prelude does. It grapples with themes of loneliness and expectations from society and parental figures, as well as facing down problems that seem insurmountable. This is also a standout track for its spacey synths and honking, percussive hits that, in the right mood, can feel like alarms. The only problem with this song is that it’s just too short.

The Prelude is a strong outing, but leaves just enough to be desired that it would make sense if it does end up being a proper prelude to something bigger. The musical ideas presented here could be expanded on in a variety of ways that would be interesting to see on a longer album or perhaps a new series of EPs, but only time will tell if that’s the case. Regardless, and as it stands, The Prelude is certainly enough to tide over listeners until whatever followup may come arrives.