Following 2016's sprawling, slamming full-length Animals Have Feelings, Los Angeles-based abstract hip-hop producer
Samiyam (Sam Baker) threw a Pizza Party. Clocking in at about half the length of its predecessor, Pizza Party initially seems like a light snack, but it's a significant development in Baker's career because it wasn't composed using samples, unlike his prior recordings. It's a set of laid-back synth-funk with Baker's usual crushed, nonlinear beat patterns, which often seem to trip over themselves but make sense the closer you listen. The individual tracks are somewhat minimal, usually lasting around two minutes each and only consisting of a few layers of instruments. "Saturday Morning" has simple, staccato piano notes, a sludgy chiptune-like beat, and very minimal bass, synth melodies, and floating atmospheric synths. "Swamp People" has more bulbous bass tones, and lots of fluttering delay. "The Boat Can Leave Now" seems a bit harder and heavier, but isn't quite direct -- it slithers rather than smacks. "Pizza Party" has a sort of syrup-like ooze, and the album takes a somewhat sour tone with tracks like "Little Cookies" and, well, "Sour Candy." On a couple tracks, effects such as laughter and applause find their way into the mix, but the overall tone is actually quite subdued and even a bit melancholy, especially on the
Jonwayne-featuring conclusion, "What Can I Do." Nowhere near as celebratory as its title, Pizza Party is surprisingly reflective, and not quite as casual as its unhurried tempos might make it seem. ~ Paul Simpson