As Kenya’s music scene continues to diversify, more niche genres are emerging as artists continue to experiment and innovate. 16 year old capespring. adds his voice to the new avant-garde with his hazy, lo-fi and bedroom pop tinged debut EP, Duality. On this 13 minute, 5 track project, capespring. navigates fake friendships, growing into his confidence and finding love.

On ‘Gang.’, capespring. rap-sings over a head-bopping lo-fi beat as he calls out fake friends: “One two three don’t come up to me/If you’re not gang then you’re an enemy/If you’re not a supportive then you ain’t a friend to me/Put my phone on airplane mode tryna save my energy”. The following track, ‘Chase.’ sees capespring. nonchalantly mumble-rap about clout-chasers over a gritty track whose stripped-down, raw, driving drum pattern is reminiscent of grime.

‘Money. (Interlude)’, which serves as an instrumental palette cleanser, features an interview snippet chastising radio singles for being created as products for profit. Here, capespring. inadvertently adds to the ongoing conversation on some players in the music business being more interested in the money than the art.

‘Weight.’ and ‘Testament.’, the EP’s final two songs, are hazy, bedroom pop influenced tracks that present a softer, vulnerable side of capespring. On ‘Weight.’, he expresses frustration over his time being wasted by a love interest, “Take what you got babe/Carry your dead weight/I ain’t tryna hold it” whilst ‘Testament.’ sees him lament over a lost relationship

Despite a few unintelligible moments, an indicator that his flow needs some work, capespring. redeems himself through catchy hooks and relatable storylines thus proving his potential. capespring. is one to keep an eye on and I’m looking forward to watching him curve a niche for himself in Kenya’s alternative music scene.

Stream Duality. here.