Read our take on the San Antonio supergroup's latest effort
FRITOGANG have been diligently pumping out an impressive range of self-produced R&B and hip hop tunes over the last few years, sounding increasingly refined with each release. On the Texas group's new EP, GOTTA KEEP MY PEOPLE CLOSE, each of its nine members are more animated than ever.
Joined by Reek on the infectious title track "GOTTA KEEP MY PEOPLE CLOSE", the team celebrate the importance of companionship in the midst of hardships – a timely message for troubling times. Set against a backdrop of smooth vocal cuts and silky melodies, it's hard not to feel uplifted.
Nostalgic R&B and gospel-leaning samples are a common thread throughout the project, which otherwise spans an impressive range of tempos and soundscapes. On the trappy anthem "ROLL OUT", sprinkled with skittering hi-hats, and the ethereal "BUCKET LIST", which finds the group lacing cowbells and jazzy guitar licks, we see the crew flexing their vocal dexterity at a breakneck pace.
Meanwhile, the humorously named "LIKE THIS" and "LIKE THAT" both perfectly strike a balance between old-school samples and contemporary rap styles, the former serving as a playful, braggadocious anthem and the latter as a soulful, feel-good affair, both once again utilising retro drum machines to give each song a timeless character.
There's something for everyone over the course of the six-track project, which serves as perhaps the San Antonio group's most coherent body of work to date. GOTTA KEEP MY PEOPLE CLOSE can be streamed in full below.