Rapped into the dictation device: hip-hop between DIY-scrambled and cloudrap-and for people who prefer to spend the afterthour with a book under the ceiling.
Anno 2025 it is really difficult to surprise the audience with something really new and serve something that really surprises her. But maybe John Glacier did it: her rap is sometimes bordered in indie guitar, which is reminiscent of the pixies, then again of Witch House as from Salem or experimental Electronica à la Eartheater (which of course co-produces as a guest on “Money Shows”) . In the meantime, John Glacier raps constantly dry over the spiky sound worlds, as if she is talking under the covers into an old, analog dictation device, the recording bands of which have been used a few times too often. In the spirit of her icy artist name, she sounds almost uninvolved – but only almost, because the almost expressionless delivery manages to build a hypnotic pull.
In the open “satellites”, John Glacier sounds as if she could only drag herself through the track, while vocalsamples, distorted guitars and drums build up a wild collage of confusing beauty. On “Ocean Steppin ‘”, Sampha can be heard from a dream from a dream somewhere in the distance, while Glacier Lyrics lets the circles more and more extensive.
Or the shimmering “found”, something like the waving heart of the album, which finds a little hope somewhere in the middle of a world broken into countless pieces. Or at least believes it. It is difficult to grasp Glacier – it starts with the gender bending name, but is far from being stopped at her meditative rhymes, the preference of her executive producers KWES Darko (which you could still know from his collaboration with Slowthai). The rapper, who is disabled by the chronic connective tissue disorder, taught herself to produce with tools such as garage band and logic as a autodidactine a few years ago-practical, because this can always be done in pain phases.
HipHop, which plays with elements from a wide variety of genres, combines hardness in sound and self -view and artistic claims
Glacier then released her productions on Soundcloud, so far, so gen Z. But that her debut mixtape Shiloh: Lost for Words with his Twitchy Beats and intimate rapeseed would then also be discussed by newspapers such as the “Guardian”, distinguishes them from most of their generation.
How does UK HipHop 2025 sound? How does UK rap sound to Skepta and Stormzy, after the hardness of the drill and the introspective considerations of Kano, Little Simz and Slowthai? Maybe like John Glacier: HipHop, who plays with elements from a wide variety of genres, which combines hardness in sound and self -view and artistic claim. John Glacier is hip -hop for people who like to go to the club for a few hours, but their ideal performance of an after -hour consists of a ceiling cave and a good book. For people who still miss Kurt Cobain, but also hear Salem and Eartheater. And what does John Glacier say? In her streaming bio she keeps herself briefly: “Hi, I’m John” and: “The World is in Fames.” True. But if Like A Ribbon runs, not everything is lost yet.
You can find out which albums were published in February 2025 via our monthly publication list.