Four albums deep and James Joyce the Squatch is finally operating in a setting that matches the weight of what he's putting on the mic. Discomfort Inn, his debut on Stray's Rogue Hollow imprint, pairs him with Charlie Beans as primary producer — and that partnership is the clearest upgrade his catalog has seen. Beans builds beats that sit in the uncomfortable middle ground between sinister boom bap and chopped G-funk undertow, giving Squatch's delivery room to breathe without softening its edge. "Pick Your Poison" captures that dynamic well: the production is controlled menace, and Squatch approaches the bars with the confessional bluntness of someone getting things off their chest rather than performing for an audience. Mixed by Beans, mastered by Eddie Logix. This one is a proper introduction to a catalog worth digging.
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