Review: Cody Presley Releases Twenty 7 EP

Hip Hop Artist Cody Presley released his sophomore EP, Twenty 7

Hip Hop Artist Cody Presley released his latest EP, Twenty 7, on June 10^th. The Tampa based artist released his debut album, There’s Always Tomorrow, in 2018. His musical style combines emo-rap, alternative, and trap.

Cody Presley grew up in Pensacola, Florida, which is the city I have resided in for the past 13 years. The area is known more for its athletes, such as Emmitt Smith, Roy Jones Jr., Justin Gatlin, and Bubba Watson, rather than its musical talent. Pensacola may not be a large city, but it has been producing a lot of bands and artists that are on the verge of breaking through. Presley is one of these artists on the verge.

The EP opens with “Welcome to the Club”. Presley sings about not wanting to join the 27 club, which is the infamous club of rock stars including Hendrix, Morrison and Cobain, who died at the age of twenty-seven. His mind is filled with numbness and wanting to stop the drugs. “Dead Inside” continues the theme of not wanting to die and trying to overcome anxiety.

Discussing “Before You Go,” Cody Presley says “I wrote this while being in a situation of ‘its all or nothing.’ The last text message to make it through before everything comes crashing down on you. When you cherish something so much it can be extremely tough to let go of someone dear to your heart.”

“Ghost” is the closing track which is the culmination of all of Presley’s heartaches. Pain and loneliness of being left behind due to not giving up drugs. Feeling dead inside and needing to pop pills to feel alive. The song is a fitting conclusion which reinforces the tone and mood of the album.

Twenty 7 is a journey through the struggles of drugs, heartbreak, loneliness, loss, despair, and fear. It is a subdued, slower tempo album with an emo ambience to it. The songs are short, 3 minutes or less, which allows Presley to succinctly expresses his emotions through the use of simple repetitive lyrics. Arpeggiating guitars and trap style drums characterized by subtle hit-hat patterns are the basis for the majority of the musical tracks. The music is not overpowering and allows the focus to be squarely on Presley’s vocals and lyrics.

The topics Cody Presley sings about are ones to which a lot of people can relate. Will he be the next breakthrough artist? We will have to wait and see. Twenty 7 is definitely a move in the right direction.

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