LeoStayTrill knows that many artists who blow up on social media can’t translate that success into building cohesive, well-thought-out projects. Over the past year, the Bromley rapper has become an online sensation thanks to huge singles like the pop-sampling ‘Crazy Love’ and ‘2s n 3s’, gaining two MOBO nominations, making it onto the NME 100 and connecting with UK rap stars like Dave and Tion Wayne. However, he recently told ITV’s The Rundown he’s focused on getting “away from that TikTok artist bubble”.
His debut EP ‘Home Alone’ reflects that shift, as the precocious 18-year-old – who first gained public attention years ago on TV show The Voice Kids and KSI‘s ‘Popping’ challenge – refines his subtly funky blend of African-inspired rhythms and UK drill. The project’s title reflects how LeoStayTrill (real name Tinotenda Leon Gandanzara) has been living a solitary, studio-centred life lately, but producer Xeretto also deserves credit for the sonic world crafted on ‘Home Alone’.
The pair have been working together for years, finetuning a gripping and minimalistic style of production that perfectly complements Gandanzara’s staccato flows and knack for delivering potent lines with a low-toned intimacy that makes you feel like he’s right beside you. This approach strengthens a series of sharp, cleverly-delivered bars on this EP, like “I’ve been a G like the DJ at Kings Cross” and “How you gonna talk about you’re really at the top when it’s actually, naturally, factually me? / They cat to be we, ya see?” (‘Naturally Me’).
Over eight short, snappy tracks, the rising rapper utilises drill and Afrobeats-influenced instrumentals that emit a real moodiness while remaining hyper-rhythmic and bouncy, as on ‘Ya Get Dat’ and ‘Hands On Knees’ (ft. K-Trap). This blueprint saw last year’s freestyle ‘Pink Lemonade’ turn into a viral hit, and Gandanzara is at his best when taking this sound and shifting it around into adjacent avenues.
Including ‘2s n 3s’ on the EP is understandable given its success, but this track, with its poppy overtones and extended Jess Glynne hook, seems to depart from a more focused sound and thus feels somewhat out of place. Nonetheless, the song marries dance-centric rhythms with witty rhymes, underlining the teenager’s consistent delivery in both departments. ‘Home Alone’ shows that LeoStayTrill can take that platform and level up from it, and with his love of project-building firmly stated, it’s fair to expect more sonic and lyric innovation from this exciting young UK rapper.
