Want

In the studio this duo from Boulder, Colorado (hence the 303 zip code moniker) specializes in hilarious hip-hop rhyming over cartoonish electronic soundscapes and synthesizers that sound pilfered from early 1990s gangsta rap albums. Following a techno-tinged intro, their second album opens with "Punk*****," a festival-friendly party anthem that could have been penned by Adam Sandler. "Don't Trust Me" dares to rhyme "vegetarian" with "scared of him" while poking fun at urban hipsters to a sexed-up dance floor chorus that would make Peaches jealous. Similarly tongue-in-cheek is the infectious and minimally arranged "Chokechain" which makes light of tough guys who use pit bulls and rottweilers as testosterone accessories. With all the witty cynicisms that pepper Want, "Still Around" is an anomaly ballad that stands out like a big, beautiful, sore thumb. It weaves minor chord piano notes with a dramatic string section, fitting beats, and emotive lyrics about trying to keep a relationship going in the midst of a successful career as a hit making dipsomaniac.