Illy had a major task to follow. 2010’s The Chase scored him a massive breakthrough, with singles It Can Wait and Cigarettes featuring on the triple j Hottest 100 countdown in consecutive years. Now it’s 2012 and he has slightly resurfaced (although being played on radio frequently and always keeping fans up-to-date on his official Facebook page) with Bring It Back.
Bring It Back features a range of guests from the local hip hop scene, including Thundamentals, Mantra, and Pez. Killer beats in the title track Bring It Back, along with All of the Above featuring the previously mentioned Thundamentals, show Illy’s consistency as he has not wasted any time in getting the album finished. If we are taken back a few years, the later track sounds like something the former 1200 Techniques could have released. It is an instant classic.
Heard It All is the lead single for a reason. It is an outstanding track that contains a cool guitar riff provided with lyrics, ‘Please forgive me if it all sounds so familiar / I’m sure that you heard this all before’, that state that ideas are not original anymore, especially in music. Second single Where Ya Been featuring Pez, along with M Phazes on the decks, is a laugh at the expense of fans begging to hear new material when they have been out of action for so long.
Bring It Back takes each track into another dimension. Every track is just as good, if not better than its previous one. Outside the released singles, Back, Back, Forward is dazzling, telling a story: ‘In order to get wherever we’re going / We gotta go way back / Back in time’. In 2009, Illy performed on Like A Version for triple j. He made a remix of Where Is My Mind by The Pixies. Almost three years later, Illy takes a spin on Where Is My Mind Pt 2, sampling some of his favourite hip hop songs and making it his own. I am already looking forward to part 3.
Above all the commercial success, Illy has proven the critics wrong and come back with an album that will not be forgotten. From an array of guests to rapping about topics like his predecessor, Illy continues to make his mark in the Australian hip hop scene and is no doubt a multiple entry contender for the triple j Hottest 100. Bring It Back is out now through Obese Records.
