Australian hip hop artist IamSnap takes a deeply personal experience of anguish and wrests it into an unexpectedly encouraging affirmation on “Last Round,” a single that personifies depression and anxiety not as the abstract conditions they are but as a force that needs to be wrestled with.
The immediate creation of tension begins in its atmospheric opening. “Last Round” delays entry into any strong beats as it instead builds suspense before heavier hip-hop rhythms come into play with the song feeling like an encroaching battle that’s beginning to take shape. Gore Ocean and IamSnap handled the song’s considerable production with power, but without overshadowing the core theme.
IamSnap’s verses are at their best when they are most direct. She addresses the urge to procrastinate, the voices of self-doubt, the inability to initiate creative projects as well as the draining efforts of moving forward while being pulled back at each stage. Even the song doesn’t falter; having doses of dark comedy that make the topic less morose, contributing to the authenticity of her vulnerability.
The central analogy of anxiety as a demanding and inescapable presence feels relatively simple but powerful. Instead of offering the idealized experience of an end to her struggles, IamSnap describes recovery from it as another round in what could be an ongoing battle, opting for resistance rather than a full-on victory.
Lydia Caesar’s melodic contributions are the song’s greatest moment of triumph and IamSnap’s jagged verses are offset by her soulful hook, a warm center of uplifting energy on which the track builds. Her voice shifts the tune from inner thoughts to a more grandiose statement, the sonic dimensions growing more elaborate around her at the appropriate parts.
“Last Round” is a win by way of its honesty. While acknowledging the disorder that anxiety and doubt cause, IamSnap nevertheless locates hope in a pragmatic acceptance of what must happen next. Between IamSnap’s sharp honesty and Caesar’s insistent voice, this is a hip hop track for an extended struggle that’s made accessible to anyone with the will to try and keep pushing forward.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
