Album: Pete Flux & Parental – Infinite Growth
Infinite Growth is an enthralling hip hop odyssey that emphatically marks the debut full-length project of intercontinental duo Pete Flux (USA) & Parental (France). Both emcee and producer have clearly been sharpening their swords to a micron edged blade tip; this album is the manifestation of both individual and reciprocal artistic development.
Words: Kamir Hiam
Parental’s beats paint a rich and varied instrumental landscape; melodic piano and guitar chords generate a serene aura like rippling alpine lakes, while heavy hitting drums stand tall like the jagged peaks of the Pyrenees. The vivid soundscape is then colored by the cascading multisyllabic rhyme schemes of Pete Flux, who deftly switches flows to complement each musical microenvironment.
The gateway to the album is opened on “Counter”, as a rolling guitar, horn stabs, and guest turntablism from Venom usher the listener to pay attention to the skills and messages about to unfold throughout the album. Immediately through “With My Kin”, Pete flashes lyrical dexterity with complex rhyme schemes and cadences to match the beat. No verbal hook needed as Parental drops haunting horns and tumbling piano keys between verses.
Totally different territories of sound are explored on “Scaling” and “MDs” as Parental supplies darker beats with muddy drum patterns for Pete Flux and guest emcees Paranom and Epidemic. Pete and Parental again shift into a new realm of hip hop with the cinematic “Revenge Of The Pen” where Pete describes a dark and action packed tale backed by a fittingly vivid beat evolving with the tale. Taking things straight to your heart, Parental’s brother Lex (de Kalhex) appears on “Feel”, rapping in his native French tongue for a very introspective commentary on modern life.
“Pete and Parental pay musical homage to the pioneers of the genre that came before them; but are also carving out an inimitable style of their own.”
One of the most intriguing beats comes on “Burgermeister” as Parental constructs a jazzy rhythm around a hypnotic pick slide sample. He then completely flips things around to finish the track with a beat built around what sounds like a fly buzzing around, but is actually a sample of the last few seconds of resonance of a note played on a trumpet. “Roll Call” and “What They Need” show the duo shining and entirely at home in their own rendition of jazzy boom bap stylings. To end the album, “6:30” sees Parental again flexing his production creativity through a progressive beat driven by a hypnotic guitar riff.
The twelve tracks within this album contain enough diversity of sound to satisfy any hip hop enthusiast. Pete and Parental pay musical homage to the pioneers of the genre that came before them; but are also carving out an inimitable style of their own.
