★★★☆☆
The debut record from Milwaukee Banks,Deep Into The Nightis a mixture of subtle electronic tweaks, clever synth work and often punching, throbbing beats.
The production on the album has some absolutely mind-melting moments. ‘Faded’sets a progressive rhythm against cascading synths, while ‘Mona Lisa’ contains a desperate, brilliant bridge. It’s all pulled to a close with ‘Grace’, a number full of fascinating electric guitar. Nonetheless, the album leaves a lot to be desired on the lyrical front. What could have been an intricate amalgamation of perceptions merely becomes an ever so slightly manipulated rip-off of themes such as self-worth, the nature of persistence required when one plays ‘the game’, and girls.
These are themes that we’re all too familiar with, thanks in large part to mainstream hip hop, and it makes one sigh at the thought of Milwaukee Banks treading the same subject matter as Drake and Fetty Wap. Do we really care that the band’s budding interaction with a young female is “burning up like hot chicken”? No. Rather, we’re left wondering why Milwaukee Banks would let themselves get so hungry that chicken is feeding their similes.
That said, though it’s definitely not perfect, Deep Into The Night has enough going for it to make this debut well worth a listen.
Deep Into The NightbyMilwaukee Banksis available now through Dot Dash/Remote Control.
