Duckwrth is nothing short of a stylistic chameleon when it comes to his sound. First gaining attention from alternative hip hop fans with the release of his debut studio album I’m Uugly in 2016, the California rapper subsequently became known for his dreamy, vibey, and laid back musical aesthetic. His flow was melodic and rhythmic and the production style of his songs was in a camp similar to that of Smino or Steve Lacy. His following mixtape An Extra Uugly Mixtape (2017) and the success of the pop inspired ode to San Francisco “Bernal Heights” (2017) further cemented Duckworth's reputation as a very relaxed artist, good for those who like hip hop music, but want something less abrasive and “in-your-face” than what a lot of the genre today has to offer.

However, Duckwrth recently began to turn away from the mellow lofi sound that initially placed him on the radar for music fans towards a grimier, more aggressive style. In 2018, Duckwrth collaborated with rapper ShaboozeY on the amped up track “Riot!” for the soundtrack of the film Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse (2018). On “Riot!” Duckwrth is not sing-rapping like his fans were so used to him doing. Insead, he is shouting, straining his voice, and rapping quickly with biting precision. This single proved to be the perfect setup to Duckwrth's most recent EP, The Falling Man. The project takes the energy from “Riot!” and fully embraces it, making The Falling Man Duckwrth's most ambitious and interesting release yet.

With only eight songs and a runtime of 21 minutes, Duckwrth fits several different artist features, several different moods, and several different thematic elements over the course of The Falling Man. The opening track “Bow” gives a haunting yet enticing introduction to the EP. Duckwrth’s singing is deep and gothic, lulling the listener into the track until the beat drops in the last third of the song. At that transition, Duckwrth begins to rap, his voice higher pitched and slightly nasally as he declares “That boy nothing but trouble!”

The next track “Fall Back” is similar to “Riot!” in that both tracks utilize a more aggressive lyrical, performance, and production style than much of his previous work. The next few tracks are slower and more stripped back, making heavy use of the piano as opposed to the guitar and the bass he tends to gravitate towards. The piano becomes especially important in mimicking the sound of church in the first leg of the song “Soprano.” Once the church segment ends, the song transforms into a rap banger much too risque for a place of worship but perfect for turning up and partying.

By far the two most refreshing tracks on The Falling Man are “A Wildfire” featuring artists Mr. Carmack and Allan Kingdom, and “Sallie Mae” featuring NoMBe. “A Wildfire” and “Sallie Mae” mesh rap and rock music in such a kitchsy yet fun way that the tracks could be discussed within the same vane as other classic genre mash ups of the kind and hold their own. “Sallie Mae” in particular is interesting in that within the three minute duration of the track, the song takes on several tone shifts, moving from rock to R&B and back again with ease.

Duckwrth continues to evolve his style and presence within the hip hop scene with The Falling Man. With the project, Duckwrth shows his audience that he is more diverse that he may seem and that he is going to keep on exploring and refining the depth of his creativity. Duckwrth has only gotten better with each collection of music he releases. If you were not paying attention to Duckwrth before, now is the time to start.