Picnic Kibun’s new two-song EP, titled Semilla, pits one song against the other. “Semilla” is a falsetto’d party, while Matanza-guesting “Kaizoku”—which in Japanese means “pirate”—gestures toward a more thoughtful party, one riddled with anxiety and teeth clenching but ultimately more memorable.
For me, Tatsu Jones’ voice is at its best when he pushes and drags it, when he embraces its heaviness. “Kaizoku” then feels like a better exploration of Picnic Kibun’s potential: hip-hop meets dark-rave meets melancholy. Not to say their straight electro-dance tracks aren’t special; they’re what attracted me to them. But “Kaizoku” is what will make me stick around.