RAPTUM’s new track ‘Belly’ is a force to reckon with. In a beat that’s simultaneously hard and gentle, it’s undeniably rhythmic yet simple enough to let the Leyton-born musician’s assertive tone shine through. If you find yourself listening to artists like Rejjie Snow and slowthai on repeat, RAPTUM fits right in with the aesthetic. The press release reads that the song explores “a murky and dystopian London, riddled with crooked police, disenfranchised youths, archaism and fervent symbology,” something that reveals itself in the tonal feel of the song: moody, downcast, brooding. Underground listeners will remember the wordsmith’s singular approach from previous tunes like ‘The Plague’ and ‘New Jack Swing’; RAPTUM brings in hypnotic beats for both before taking them over in a show of power, giving an intoxicating, forceful sound. You can expect much of the same from ‘Belly’. Ultimately leading into a signature sound that RAPTUM uniquely names “Crud Groove” for the analogy of him cutting into a record, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything like it.
