New Jersey-based artist Drey Viloria delivers mature, thought-provoking, and honest lyricism within an ambient and optimistic space, driven by hip hop (from experimental, through old school, through trap, through modern mainstream), R&B, pop, disco, and other influences. Often, when hearing of a young up-and-coming artist who produces, records, mixes, and masters his own material, it is expected that somewhere along that chain, the artist would reveal his amateur abilities. That is not the case with Drey Viloria’s four-track EP, Diary ov a Dreamchaser Chapter I. With this EP, Drey rather shows the workings of a rare perfectionist along the chain of production, recording, mixing, and mastering, which compliments his insightful lyrics and authentic vocal delivery.
In Drey Viloria’s own words, the four songs on Diary ov a Dreamchaser Chapter I, “express the thoughts and feelings I have, while on my journey of chasing my dreams and finding my purpose in life.” As such, each track is a moment of scrutiny and discerning on aspects of life relevant to every person, given from Viloria’s own unique perspective, inviting listeners into an inner journey upon flowing instrumentals that each capture waves of different emotions.
The first track, “Heroes,” explores a breathing-like tension-and-release feel of wavy ambient synths fluxing together with percussive stabs within a cloudy space as Drey Viloria opens by asking questions that unfold into an introspective dialog. “Fear Plagued,” the EP’s second track, earns the title track of the EP with a recurring hook-like lyrical approach that explores fear and its effects on a person, starting phrases with “When you’re fear plagued,” (e.g. “When you’re fear plagued you become paralyzed, all those fears fake, when you do recognize it’s a clear waste of imagination”). A descending chordal motive as a bed of synth pads in the Benzy Beats’ instrumental together with the relentless lyrical investigation that revolves around the theme of fear acts like a journey down a staircase into a new room filled with a wide spectrum of observations that ultimately inspire an approach of letting go of fear in order to wake up into a new world of opportunity. The sharp percussive upbeat beat with synthesized female-sounding vocals as backing melodic material on “HateDaLuv?” carries Drey Viloria’s contemplation on a relationship that goes through the motions of inquiring, justifying, and clarifying in a down-to-earth back-and-forth with himself trying to enter the elusive mind and heart of the female: “How u gonna hate da luv when da luv don’t do u wrong?” On “New Again,” a bright and encouraging almost-80s sounding synth-led ostinato dials together with Drey Viloria into the struggle of moving ahead in life, in the rap game, while maintaining a strong sense of self and centeredness in what can often feel like enemy territory: “still keeping faith when things seem off.”
Drey Viloria’s embrace of a down-to-earth and honest ongoing dialog that unfolds throughout the EP is also masterfully captured in the music video to “Fear Plagued.” The EP’s centerpiece brings Drey’s image to life with colors that perfectly match the song’s darker mood, and with an emphasis on the his introspective nature and style by illustrating his lyrical notebook, which leaves you with an image of a deep individual inviting others into his journey to make sense of himself, his life, and life in general, and to mutually enjoy from the unraveling clarifications and confusions.
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