[rating=8.00]
Atmosphere’s new record Southsiders is a statement in slowing things down. At this point in their nearly 20-year career, Slug’s got a family and it seems that he and Ant are finally taking a step back to breathe. That signature sense of urgency and intense energy is still there, but it’s mingled with a newfound calmness now, and there’s no rushing these songs. Immense (South Minneapolis) hometown pride, humanity, death and maturity round out the tone of Southsiders, and it’s clear that it’s time to reflect.
“I made a promise I would prove my worth…I gave a fuck when I was a lot younger”, spits Slug on “Star Shaped Heart”, a song indicative of his current state of mind. He’s moved on from petty bullshit, and is focused on figuring out life’s bigger, heavier questions. “Bitter” looks back on old grudges and insecurities, but tackles them with wiser words. And “Let Me Know That You Know What You Want Now” looks mortality right in the face when Slug repeatedly reminds us that we only get one life, and it’s a short one. His quick-witted cleverness and savvy vocabulary is still bar none, but this time around he’s extra careful not to mince words.
On standout single “Kanye West”, the beat is punchy, but the lyrics are cynical and cheeky. “It’s lonely at the top and it’s also hostile/Everyone got their own course full of obstacles/Don’t let your heart grow cold like a popsicle”, Slug says, and we’re undoubtedly right there with him, questioning our presence. Being present is a major theme woven through these tracks, and even an old school Atmosphere jam like “I Love You Like a Brother” is examining what it means to be merely human. “It doesn’t matter how far you run from it/you’re still gonna find it/
you come from it”, he tells us, confirming our worst fear that we’ll never escape our pasts, but somehow comforting us at the same time.
But it’s the title track “Southsiders” that rocks out in a whole new way and leaves us breathless. The dark ode to the “bad bitch” that is Minneapolis provides insight into the city that birthed Slug and Ant. And even though we need to wade through the vividly descriptive shit and grit to feel the passion, it’s a love/hate relationship with the place, and we may never know to which side Atmosphere truly leans. This is obviously the anthem here, and it’s a welcome departure from this overall existential album.
However, we wouldn’t still harbor so much love for Atmosphere after all these years if we didn’t feel an intense appreciation for their honesty and introspection. And for every one of these beautiful downers, there’s a treat like “Arthur’s Song” that gives us Slug’s signature dirtiness. Soulful, cool and perfectly paced, it’s a song like this that confirms for us what we already knew: few lyricists hold a candle to Atmosphere. And thanks to their never ending quest for answers to the questions held deep in the darkest corners of their psyches, we get to experience them continuing to change the game a little with each endeavor.
