By Sean McCall | Posted August 13, 2019
Pyrex is the musical project of Luke Knoblauch from South Jersey. Pyrex describes himself as Ambient Rap, and debuted his first EP Lucas in September of 2018. Pyrex said, “I wrote this on my notepads app over the years and just turned it into music.” He also gives a special thanks to Jayradda, Kevin Dunne, Mike Kratz, and Nick Fysz for their contribution to Lucas.
The introduction song is “MSbang! (feat. jayradda)” which opens up with a vocal heavy hook that has you bopping your head immediately. The hook “Self-reflection is that all I ever know, are you just bored, or should I just take you home? Always texting on your cellular phone, I try to just let you go” cuts deep, and the song deals with coping with the emotional loss of a loved one. One of my favorites is featured on this track too: Jayradda (or Jorge Estrada) of comeupcomedown and Heather Grey. Jayradda has the prettiest voice, and it especially shines in “MSBang!” He has super tasteful vocal runs and emotional lyrics in this track.
The EP seems to talk about the struggle of loved loss, battling with substances and vices, and the love of streetwear. Overall, Pyrex is portraying that although life can be tough and sadness prominent, he is still striving to live his best life.
The second track, “Happy”, is hands down my favorite track on Lucas. The hook “I just want to make my way back home” is one of the catchiest things I’ve heard. The beat is very upbeat and catchy. “Happy” brings you sadness, optimism, and nostalgia. Everybody interprets songs differently, which makes music so beautiful. This track definitely hit me with nostalgia, and just makes me want to drive my car blasting “Happy.”
The third track, “Dead,” opens up with an old-time sample, and discusses the topic of wanting to quit life; the overall idea of just feeling stuck and stagnant. I really love the second verse’s melody and choice of harmonies around the 2-minute mark. The beat and dissonance of the vocals gives me an older Kid Cudi kind of vibe.
“Kai” is the fourth track off of Lucas, and this is definitely up there with “Happy” for me personally. The beat and piano in the song is beautiful, and the lyrical content discusses the use of drugs, smoking, and drinking. The vocals are melodically beautiful throughout the song, but Pyrex’s vocals especially shine through towards the end around the 2:45 mark.
The second to last track, “Space Cowboy,” is another favorite that almost acts as a reprise and brings back the theme of “finding your way back home” that was introduced earlier in “Happy.” This track’s super spacey and dreamy, which is right up my alley. It definitely gives me an older Kid Cudi vibe again.
The last track, “Dreamin.In.Reverse.flp,” was produced by Jayradda and is another beautifully atmospheric track. The beat on this song has an uplifting feeling while still glowing with tension. I think this song concludes Pyrex’s EP perfectly, and the production value is Grade A.
All in all, I think this was a solid initial release. It talks about subjects that are tough to talk about, has a solid consistency of sound, and is purely authentic . Be sure to check out Pyrex’s single, “Truly Free”, if you’re looking for more Pyrex.
Instagram: @GUCCIBOYLUKE