K.Flay, K.Flay

Inspired by other female artists such as Liz Phair and Mary J. Blige, as well as her father’s classic rock records, K.Flay is an example of genre-hopping gone very, very right. Catching the Internet’s affection with her mixtape MASHed Potatoes in 2009, she displayed talent and a distinct lack of pretense with her remixes of pop songs, which all sound miles away from their originals.

Quickly earning enough indie cred to play with the big boys, K.Flay has spent the past year touring with MC Lars, 3OH!3, Passion Pit, and hellogoodbye, among others. With her latest EP, K.Flay, she’s pulled out all the stops to make a five-song sucker punch that delivers mountains of attitude and wit per decibel.

Although she earns comparisons to Childish Gambino and MC Lars, K.Flay is truly forging a path of her own in the world of new hip-hop. While sometimes sticking to the classic topics — money and bitches — she also raps and sings about S&M, make-up, and calculators. Her singer-songwriter approach also sets her a step above the rest: from the beats to the lyrics to the production, she does everything herself. The product of all her hard work is a mini pop masterpiece that’s both catchy and incredibly clever.

Starting with “No Duh,” an introduction to K.Flay’s husky voice and limber flow, the EP delves into her childhood, past relationships, and rockstar lifestyle without missing a beat. “Messin’ With My Head” is lonely and bitter, all about a relationship gone sour, while “Acetaminophen” is more of a dance tune, with brutal, buzzy synth lines and lyrics all about the hedonistic party life, like, “Acetaminophen is what I’ll be needing if I keep it up / tomorrow morning but I’m warning you, I could give a fuck.” The most impressive track on the EP, though, is “So Fast, So Maybe,” a rapid-fire barrage of go-and-get-it attitude that fizzes with K.Flay’s unique style and talent.

As young as she is, K.Flay has already established a place for herself musically. Despite the comment that she made on her own Website: “This is an EP I wrote and produced in a basement,” K.Flay sounds as clean and professional as if it was produced by the best in the biz. The quality of this EP has drawn the attention that K.Flay deserves, and I have a feeling that she’s going to prove her mettle even more in the future. Keep your ears open for this girl — she’s something special.