Alex The Large: “Backwoods” Single Review
By Owen Tait
I’ll admit, despite all the time extra COVID has given me to discover new artists this year, I’ve found it difficult to reach out and explore unknown territory. Whether I’ve been trapped in the same playlist for days or being home in Illinois has given me reason to get nostalgic with my listening habits, I haven’t found much in the way of underground hip-hop (and I mean underground) that has stood out to me. But perhaps it was this same sense of nostalgia that sucked me into “Backwoods,” a recent single from Alex The Large, founder and member of the World Wide Native label and collective. Released in October of 2020, “Backwoods” laments about old memories, as well as both hope and confidence for the future —sentiments I believe young listeners can all get behind in this stage of our lives.
The track takes its time to get started, leading with soft, reverb-heavy guitars and sentimental lines that allude to old remedies and friends. Alex references “throwing stones up at your window,” followed by a repetition of the line “is there anybody home,” and we quickly get a sense that things aren’t how they used to be. Immediately after, his flow picks up, and the same emotion lingers as he weaves some pretty introspective lyrics around gentle percussion and a sea of strummed ambience. Relationships, expectations, and his current mental state are all subjects on the itinerary, but one line that stuck with me in particular was when Alex confessed “In your eyes I’m nothing, but I know what I’ma be one day,” a mindset that most artists, dreamers, and underdogs can relate to.
As the track progresses, Alex seems to grow more into his voice, finding more charismatic melodies and vocal inflections to build his verses upon, and the steady, subtle changes in the instrumental compliment these transitions extremely well. Alex also seems to grow into his skin in terms of attitude, tuning to the perspective that old relationships pale in comparison to the confidence a person can give themself; he doesn’t need validation from people in his past to know where he’ll end up, and he seems comforted by that. He finds his self-assurance in how far he’s come at this point in his journey, and as he does so, the peaceful instrumental fades into a voicemail, likely from a friend or mentor. “Stick to it… definitely daunting and scary, but keep breathing, keep moving,” the voice says. “You can do this.”
And having heard the song, I completely agree with the voice on the phone. Despite a few lines that could be considered cliché and a couple minor hiccups in his flow, Alex delivers a track that’s fit to be any introspective rapper/singer’s streaming debut. I enjoyed the gentle, relaxed tone of the record, and Alex’s bars come off as organic, almost like a stream of consciousness. It manages to feel both nostalgic and forward-thinking at the same time, and if you need a track to relax or reflect to, I’d highly recommend it. If you liked the track, be sure to keep up with future releases from World Wide Native, as I’ve heard they have big plans for 2021.
Listen to “Backwoods” here:
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