They say to never judge a book by the cover and when I saw the name Lil Lotus I thought nah this`ll be some misogynist, homophobic tattooed MC or rapper with his trousers hanging round his arse singing about bitches and hoes. But no, far from it. Lil Lotus or John “Elias” Villagran is a musician and singer who blends rap, emo, pop, and pop-punk. He`s had his share of difficulties with addiction and his latest album release `ERRØR BØY` came from this compulsion and toxic relationships he`s lived through along with everything else that sprang to mind.
The album opens with `Think Of Me Tonight` and it`s a sort of emo anthem to a lost love. We have pounding drums with bass and guitar racing along with the singer relating his tale of a romance that has taken a step in the wrong direction. The pain shared in the singer`s vocals is almost tangible as he hopes his lover will think of him that evening. Chrissy Costanza, singer of Against The Current shares the singing duties on `Romantic Disaster` which tells of a possible amorous coupling expressed from the point of view of each of the participants involved with each knowing it would be a calamity but feel drawn to it as a moth to a flame. A quite captivating pop song.
`Over And Over Again` is a kind of emo rap about a relationship is never going to work. A short number that has some driving guitar riffs and thumping drums. There`s a more pop-punk feel to `Rooftop` which is about one last night in Los Angeles and one last chance for a tryst with the object of the narrator`s desire.
`Butterfly K` opens quietly before blossoming into a dreamy introspective love song. Lil Aaron who was a member of the alternative hip hop collective Boyfriendz with Lil Lotus guests on `Girl Next Door` and the guys really seem to compliment each other vocally. The chorus of “Fell in love with the girl next door, Fell so hard I almost went through the floor, Gave you my heart and now you tell me you’re bored, You do this all the time, I know it, I’m sure” is so simple but so effective. An emo broken heart anthem.
`Lips That Kill` is a slow burn initially before it takes off on a more emo inspired rock out but flits back and forward throughout it`s excursion. There was a more Pendulum `Propane Nightmares` vibe to `Doctor Doctor` which became quite anthemic at times.
`No Getting Over This` has Travis Barker from Blink 182 adding his talents to this number that he co-wrote. A sort of emo anthem where i`m sure there`ll be lighters and lit cell phones being held aloft when aired live. There was a more genetic rapped sound to `Fake Love` initially but it seemed to have a sort of Ed Sheeran sense at times towards the end.
`Why U Do Me Like This` is another quite wistful mid paced emo tale of a broken romance. Travis Barker returns on the final track `Don’t Fuck This Up` another co-write which is a quite fast paced number pleading to try and keep the raconteur`s love affair from dissolving.
I have to admit I quite enjoyed `ERRØR BØY`. It`s not the genre of music that I’d normally listen to, but these tracks are catchy and really hook you in. The lyrics are somewhat disposable, but I thought Lil Lotus had a very captivating vocal range and felt myself nodding and tapping along to a number of the songs here.
`ERRØR BØY` has that Feel Good Factor and if you`re a fan of bands like Blink 182, New Found Glory and Simple Plan, i`m sure you`ll enjoy this.
Rating 8.5/10