Bitter Mouthfeel, or BOUMPH, is the new alias of Syrian-Canadian artist Ram Sleibi, under which he explores hip-hop with the release of his self-titled EP. The project presents a conscious take on universal issues, identity, culture and consumerism.
Despite its weighty topics, the EP is cartoonish, comical and playful. BOUMPH approaches these subjects with a reflective tone that retains the humor inherent to the Syrian dialect in which it is delivered.
While the technical aspects may fall short or feel underdeveloped at times, the lyrical content compensates for this. Throughout the EP, BOUMPH mixes political and social reflection with understated sound choices, delivering his verses in a laid-back manner that contemplates personal struggles and projects them on a universal scale.
Musically, the EP blends boom-bap beats, jazz elements, rock and lo-fi arrangements. In tracks like 'Kan Yama Kan', he experiments with instrumentation, using heavy guitar riffs as the beat's foundation. The track begins with a melodic hook that feels distant from traditional rap before transitioning into verses delivered with a more frustrated tone. While on 'Tsukuyomi', the laid-back boom-bap beat is enhanced by jazz elements, including soothing piano chords and horns. The EP closes with a lo-fi production that provides a tranquil backdrop, complementing BOUMPH's introspective tone.
