Like we said earlier today, spring seems to be staying away from the Windy City as long as it can, but despite that the city’s artists have been lighting it up in the endless anticipation for warmer weather which often brings with it bunches of new music. In that sense, April hasn’t disappointed as we got new work from the likes of TINK, Ambi Lyrics, Lil Durk, Chason and more from around the ‘Go. We’ve got all of those collected below for you, and of course we have all the Chicago music you can handle playing on Mild Sauce Radio 24/7, with new singles every night at 8 PM CST!
Tink • Pain & Pleasure EP
Tink emerged from her long and at-times confusing work relationship with producer Timbaland and has since seemed to be much more in control of her sound and her music. We’ve been lucky enough to bump into her around the studio in recent weeks and it seems that regular work ethic is paying off in the form of her latest EP, Pain & Pleasure, an apt title for her first release since parting ways with a longtime collaborator. Since emerging in 2012, Tink has eschewed the local scene in favor of shooting for the stars, and here she seems to bring it back to the crib a bit for a hometown feel that comes off just right. Get into the six-song project below.
Ambi Lyrics • Study Hall
We said spring brings with it some of the best music out of Chicago and case in point would be this one that dropped from hometown favorite Ambi Lyrics who offered up a solo collection, Study Hall that clocks in at eight songs. A amalgamation of different sides of the city converge here and it is a testament to the lead artist’s ability to move about in the background of the scene. Ambi is a regular across several studios and production teams and along with L.A. Van Gogh is one-half of the safen’sound duo. As a St. Louis native, she’s already one of our favorites over here at Mild Sauce, with our healthy STL connection via Souls of Liberty and The Three Piece. I’ve already run through this project three or four times and don’t expect it to get old anytime soon. Listen in above and catch it playing live on Best New Singles!
Lil Durk • Just Cause Y’all Wanted
Similar to the artistic exercise in releasing in the wake of change that began with Tink, Lil Durk celebrated his break up from Def Jam with another well-titled collection, Just Cause Y’all Waited. Implying the wait that invariably comes with doing almost anything with a label, it’s exciting to see Durk able to flex his creative muscle and move out from under the majors. Given the music we’ve heard from the likes of Tink and Mick Jenkins who both left deals in the last year. For his part, Durk found marked success while with Def Jam, but it never seemed like he enjoyed the attention of some of his label mates. With an independent outlook and the ability to make his own moves, we’re confident this is evidence that he’s got plenty more in his next chapter.
Chason • For Now
My guy Chason is and has been one of the city’s best kept secrets for some time, and on his latest project begins to prove to folks what I’ve known for the last few years. For Now is the result of several years of finding himself in and out of art, learning to navigate the varied lanes around the city and beyond, figuring out working relationships; twenties shit. While we may all have our times, he’s been lucky enough to find the intuition to channel all those experiences into a tightly-wound five-song affair that puts his many talent front and center. We last caught him handling production on Bernie Levv’s House of Levv project and here he stretches his aesthetic further with a crossover ability and musical understanding that do much to stay ahead of the pack. The well-timed Supa Bwe feature paired with a nice guest spot from Shuba and ShowYouSuck round out what is honestly a nice reintroduction to an act that’s been plying his trade for a minute.