EP REVIEW: The Goods ‘The Goods’

Following up three stellar, genre-defying singles Strong Man, ONLY ONE and Nightlife, formidable cosmic funk and RnB duo Boris Bangaltar and Rosario D’Awesome a.k.a The Goods have unveiled their debut self-titled double EP. The pair work on tracks individually before touching them up together, resulting in an amazing blend of D’Awesome’s psychedelic hip-hop, boogie, and house with Bangaltar’s deep funk and dancehall flavours.

“With vintage synth scores and a strong focus on its bubbly bass line, Nightlife is an addictive, perfectly-balanced track that will have you jamming on the dance floor in no time”

The relaxing and melodic Enjoy Yoselves perfectly sets the scene for the spaced-out, daydream-style tracks that follow. Driven by a hypnotic, pulsing beat, we are soon glided into one of the standout singles, Only One. This mellow yet funky track is backed by a powerful synth and loose acoustic kit, and topped with the sublime vocals of unKLe H whose soulful RnB tones mix brilliantly with the beats.

Rehashing the tripped-out instrumental sound of the opening track, You’re A Star shoots listeners back into space. This repetitive, deep-bass track features an array of ambient effects, occasional bright synths, cosmic guitar lines, and some background commentary, all of which keeps the tune from becoming too drawn out.

The duo’s most recent single Nightlife marks a change in the EP style. The track leaves wavy, cosmic funk behind and replaces it with an upbeat, house-inspired track featuring singer Bruce Hathcock. The tune stays true to the unique Goods groove, with vintage synth scores and a strong focus on its bubbly bass line, Nightlife is an addictive, perfectly-balanced track that will have you jamming on the dance floor in no time.

A smooth transition into a raw sound, Strong Man showcases a harsh, bass-focussed beat with sharp, fluttering synth lines. Collaborating with another amazing Sydney duo Lo Five, this dark, disco-flavoured track is one of the project’s highlights.

The duo follow up Strong Man‘s aggressive pace with Sucker Dry, a fat, 80s-inspired track. With the help of a slapping bass, intermittent key hits, and periodic vocal stabs of “sucker”, Sucker Dry is a blast from the past in a very good way. Motel Funk then carries on with a lo-fi hip-hop sound. One of the shortest beats on the EP at just 37 seconds, it leaves the listener longing for further development of this psychedelic tune. Its slapping drums and hypnotising vocal wails make for one of the nicest throwaways on the album.

“If Barry White rose from the grave and hooked up with producer Dâm-Funk, this extraordinary trip into funktronica heaven would be the result”

Didn’t think The Goods could change it up even further? You would be wrong. Proving their diversity, the pair delve into a series of dark, grimy, G-funk-inspired beats. Ninja Trolls, with it’s slick singing, fat bass, and deep vocoder-like rapping, is definitely an EP highlight.

The pair venture through this style even further with Natchural, a 808-filled banger just made for late-night cruising. If Barry White rose from the grave and hooked up with producer Dâm-Funk, this extraordinary trip into funktronica heaven would be the result. The short and sweet Brakes closes the project, delivering yet another heavy, ripping beat with an enchantingly bouncy bass that will make you wish it were just that little bit longer.

At the end of the day, The Goods’ debut EP was…well, the goods. The tracks are like a journey through cosmic funk, house, lo-fi hip-hop, and g-funk that starts off in a daydream and finishes in a spin of crip-walking. Like Australia’s answer to Dâm-Funk and Kaytranada, there’s no doubt this pair are among the most promising producers in the country. Have a listen to their third single Nightlife below!