Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, rapper/songwriter Kleo uses dreary, melancholic vocals to deliver poetically relatable lyrics over melodic yet gloomy instrumentals. For Kleo, it has always been about leaving his emotions on a record to tell a story, whether they be sadness, frustration, acceptance, or relentlessness. Kleo puts his impressive songwriting and solid ear for production on full display with his hazy, introspective new EP 1000 Year Grief.
At 10-tracks in length, the body of work does a nice job of capturing Kleo’s unique sound. Each record on the project does a nice job of transitioning to the next, while kleo’s monotonic vocals pair with the instrumentation in a way that makes for a concise listen from top to bottom. With features from Kofi Lost Kyle Howe and Rayshawn Miller, the supporting cast comes through and helps elevate the EP. The production on this tape was extremely consistent all the way through, and Kleo took advantage of that as he picked the pockets of each of the provided beats perfectly.
At face value, the project is a collection of bangers that any listener can rock with, but further, it’s a captivating account of the life that the rising artist has lived to tell the tale. Stream the new EP down below.
