One of the most surprising records for quite some time, self-professed degenerate Ricky Hil has fashioned himself a stylish and surprisingly authentic album in SYLLD.  The son of fashion billionaire Tommy Hilfiger, Hil is able to call upon a host of stars and expert producers, as evident in opening track ‘Slicksville’, a refined and stripped back example of the contemporary RnB which friend and collaborator Abdel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) is so widely acclaimed for. Dejected, dry vocals sit on a bed of tight beats and distant, ghostly female whispers as Hil talks of his reliance on an unsatisfying party lifestyle, a theme which yields a sense of isolation, desperation and futility throughout.

It would be easy to dismiss SYLDD as the attention seeking party-mongering of a spoilt rich kid, were it not for its genuine sincerity; Hil doesn’t call for approval or sympathy, but accepts the dysfunction as his own mistake, alluding to an inevitable premature deterioration.  ‘I Can’t Stand’ exemplifies this brutal self-assessment, with lines like “I’ll be just as gone tomorrow as I was today” delivered with apologetic tones rather than braggadocio. A fantastic cameo by Tesfaye on ‘Nomads’  is another highlight, whilst arguably the most powerful track sees every-shade-of-beige Leona Lewis dispel such a tag in the slow melodies of ‘Fix Me’. Followed by closing track ‘M.O.M’, it creates a poignant end to an album rooted in dysfunction, acting as an apology for the wasted life which Hil is unable to change.

A shame then, that the appalling ‘The Professional’, a desperate Liam Best-esque declaration of sexual prowess, found a place on an otherwise intriguing album, an inclusion which speaks stronger than any lyric could of the negative mental impacts of excessive drug use.

 

6/10

(Meant to be released by Warner, but now exclusive on Noisey)

Words: Andrew Kemp