After releasing a series of singles over the course of a few months, Ovrkast’s ( @ovrkast ) first major release since 2020 has arrived in the form of RESET! The EP is a breeze to listen to as it is only six tracks and 11 ½ minutes in runtime. The main single leading up to this project was “TBH!” This is Ovrkast’s biggest single up to this point with just over 2 million streams at the time of me writing this article. 2023 has proven to be a big year for Ovrkast., as he has partnered with Genius for several music videos, and has released some of his most popular music to date. While the title of this project, RESET!, implies looking forward to the future, throughout this EP, Ovrkast repeatedly reflects on the past. As he transitions into the next chapter of his career, which has been marked by significant growth both artistically and in popularity. Ovrkast. uses stories of his past to stay rooted in the origins that have molded his identity, and have built him up as one of the most promising young artists both in hip-hop nationally, and within his home turf of the Bay Area. This EP has the feeling of the closing of one chapter and the starting of another, and with that, RESET! feels like a prequel to a much greater sequel. Despite its short run-time, RESET! still has the feeling of a complete and cohesive body of work. With this EP, Ovrkast takes another step deeper into the limelight and introduces a variety of sounds that he had not experimented with before. That being more up-tempo production with an infusion of 808s.
In the words of Ovrkast. himself,
The overall sound of this tape is much more warm and lively than the majority of his prior work. This project also covers a very broad range of emotions, but it is all still framed in somewhat of a positive light, a clearer headspace if you will. The title track “RESET!” embodies this. I feel like this song leaves the biggest statement out of any track on the record. Ovrkast. starts out the track retelling traumatic tales of the past: “I hit the reset. Too many days my nerves shook as a kid because the opps was shooting at recess.” We then go from this glimpse of the past to Ovrkast proudly reaffirming one of the most important choices he’s made, in the line: “As a kid I knew I was obsessive about watching words and similes curve different directions, but what a lesson, I had never to pick up that Smith and Wesson to send a message. I wrote it in my book and kept it close in my dresser.” These anecdotes of the past lay down a path to the future, and seem to be the tales that keep Ovrkast strongly rooted in his own identity.
On a lighter note, Ovrkast. delivers the boastful line I’ve probably ever heard him utter. It came on the intro track, “Seamless:” “I can use this beat in seven years and it’ll still be hot.” It really does feel good to see him rapping this confidently. On RESET!, the personal growth of Ovrkast. is quite evident. On Try Again it felt like he had been hiding in the shadows a bit, and couldn’t evade a dark cloud that hung over his head.
While this project seems to represents a shift in attitude and perspective. Ovrkast. is more confident, composed, and even a bit boastful during certain moments here. This new sound was a pleasant surprise and it felt well within his skillset both as a producer and as a rapper. Growing pains were few and far between on this project, and it still had some of the same foundational qualities of an Ovrkast. project but with a more refined and up-tempo feel. Despite this, I do wish some of the tracks were able to develop more and give the EP a longer run time. The lack of a second verse on several of these tracks was a bit frustrating to me. Even with that, this is one of my favorite releases of the year. One of the biggest strengths of RESET! was the replay value. Upon listening to this tape for the first time, I’ve regularly been coming back to it RESET! is definitely a nice listen, and it is able to spotlight the growth of one of the Bay’s best and brightest talents. This project is a strong 3.75/5 for me.
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