Rising producer Last Stat gifts us his new project Statistically Significant, a 10-track body of work that blends experimental sounds with social commentary. The project as he puts it was crafted to highlight the framework of community building from his narrative.

“Intro (to Freestyle Fellowship)” is an aptly titled track that pays homage to the legendary West Coast rap group of the same name and implements De La Soul‘s “Stakes Is High” intro as well. “Acetone” featuring Myka 9, is a laidback lounge jazz-type track ripe with smoky vibes made up of laid-back staggering drums, mellow keys, xylophones and horns. This scenic arrangement is peppered with the legendary Myka 9’s commanding vocals that draw listeners in with colourful illustrations. Next is “Perpendicular” a slow drawing piece that slowly builds a sit moves along. The chords are drawn out and the layered horns all come together to create a tense atmosphere that ushers something new or different. This is followed by “Parallel” with its sparse rapid drum grooves and dark synth arrangement. The track has a pronounced shift as it progresses with a change of pace and use of dark industrial sounds.

“Patricia Joyce to Kids in COVID” is an oddly titled piece that starts with a simple lead synth pulse and a vocal sample from a lady giving out advice. The vocal texture is a bit obscure and has a repeating element that plays out like a mantra. “October” sounds like a scene from a war flick. Last Stat employs a tension-raising violin arrangement with long brass lines peppered with stuttering vocal samples and a wobbly sound that plays in the background. It’s hard to place it due to the extensive use of aural and panning effects which gives listeners a surround-type feel in the ears. On “Beat for a Silent Rapper”, Last Stat blends beatboxing with video-game-inspired synths and airy strings and the result is a mix of the old, new and futuristic. There is much to unpack here especially when the tone changes towards the end and listeners get thrown into the mix with the producer’s frenzied arrangements. Next is “Subdivisions”, a laidback piece with layered strings, horn passes and somewhat discordant jazz-infused pads and live drum grooves.

“This USAmerican Life” is a social-politically charged track that talks about real-time issues ranging from Gender inequality, racism, hate crimes, mental health, depression and much more. If I were to list the things pointed out here, I’d probably not finish but overall, it’s a thought-provoking piece that can be triggering for some but the message is clear, life in the US is not what you may think it is. The final track “Rich’s Guitars” features Richard Pollastro and Khushbu Srivastava who contribute their vocals. The track is quite cinematic as it is comprised of a haunting string, moody pads and driving drum grooves that change pace as they move along. The vocal narration is quite vivid as well and adds that extra layer of human emotion to the track.

To conclude, Statistically Significant is a consistently cohesive and off-kilter project that brings many elements together. To be fair, the style is nonconformist and might be tough for some to digest or appreciate immediately but it only gets better if you pay attention enough. To cut a long story short, the producer completely treads the unbeaten path and follows his own heart. I must add, he doesn’t miss a beat.

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