REVIEW: Cliz — Find Myself (SINGLE)
While surrealism is spiking in the mainstream market to such an extent that it’s difficult to tell the alternative rappers from their commercial counterparts, Cliz’s forward sound in the new single “Find Myself” is truly his and his alone. Without cannibalizing the brutish mentality of a bygone era in hip-hop’s charismatic and often ironically poetic history, Cliz is able to create throwback that it’s okay to love in “Find Myself;” the reason for this being, of course, his approach to the structure of the track. Others might be basking in postmodernity, but for this player, black and white compositional wit is still a recipe for success.
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/itsclizzy
As far as I’m concerned, Cliz’s identity is his flow, and that’s never been quite as obvious as it is in “Find Myself.” Where the video is stoic both visually and conceptually, the venomous verses my man is cutting from the center of the mix have more emotion than the imagery is prepared to withstand. It’s as though we’re witnessing a slow-motion breakdown from the perspective of another solider in the entourage. The mad man starting the fire isn’t concerned with the ensuing blaze, and his ease behind the mic demonstrates this swagger without question.
Despite the tremendous amount of confidence I’m getting out of the vocal element in this song and its companion music video, there really isn’t any arrogance to be found on the part of Cliz himself. He has every reason to be boastful here; the production quality, his performance itself, even the manner in which he’s marrying thin tonal components at the bottom of the mix with his own slick delivery up top, it’s all as top notch as it gets on the underground level of this game. That said, his humble demeanor could be the reason this is such a listenable piece, and moreover, a statement single in every capacity.
You couldn’t have loaded this track with any more of a bassline than Cliz did, and I like that he decided to stick with a minimalist style with regards to the instrumentation in “Find Myself” as a means of supporting his natural vocal style. It takes self-awareness to understand and respect your limitations, and rather than pushing his sound beyond what he knows it can handle, he’s playing to his strengths and providing us with as fierce a juggernaut as he can muster from inside of the recording studio here.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/find-myself-single/1550818940
A lot of listeners are just finding out about Cliz for the first time this February thanks to the buzz around “Find Myself,” but this isn’t his first time in the spotlight at all. After taking another peek at his discography this week, I have to say his ascent from the shadows and into the indie primetime should come as no surprise to anyone who really follows contemporary hip-hop. His growth as a composer and lyricist is undeniable, but his performance abilities are probably what shines the brightest in this most recent offering. I can’t wait to hear what he does with them next, and I think you’re going to see why soon.
Colin Jordan
