Nevermind a visit from Santa… the only thing we were looking forward to on a dreary Tuesday was the prospect of seeing Wiley at The Garage. Then, at 4:32pm that day, we were informed that the show had been post-poned. Our response? Go home, put the kettle on and get stuck into Snakes & Ladders. Our change in plans wasn’t as drastic as it sounds though – mainly because we’re talking about the board game, but the EP.
In our case, the event wasn’t so much postponed as simply moved from one side of Islington to another, i.e. our living room ten minutes down the road. Though it didn’t quite have the same ‘character’ as the historical rock venue, this by no means meant we weren’t still willing to rock on to Wiley’s vibrant vocal grime on full blast (much to our flatmates’ annoyance).
From bangers such as “On A Level” to trap-grime mash-up “Grew Up In”, Snakes & Ladders stays true to its name in its ability to take the listener through unexpected twists and turns, ups and downs, slips and slides. Though by no means perfect, its raw and unrefined sound is a refreshing addition to the all-too-polishedly produced Monopolys of the music scene.