Plenty of people can make beats, but a sign of an artist to keep an eye on is someone who can make a beat feel like a story. Firemj — “fire emoji,” if I’m reading closely enough — pulls that off on “Night Coast,” a number that uses pacing to its advantage and shows that a little extra thought can go a long way. It boils down to the decision not to rush out the vocal sample — many tracks out there push vocals and other gooey bits right away to grab attention, but ultimately detract from the force of these elements. Not so here, where Firemj spends over two minutes setting the table before letting the emotional howitzer loose. Call it a reminder for patience, or just let “Night Coast” play out. Listen above.
