KennyHoopla - conditions of an orphan// EP

‘conditions of an orphan//’ is a bold, bruised step forward for KennyHoopla, trading the stadium-sized polish of his previous mixtape for something rougher and more human. Travis Barker is gone, Paramore’s Zac Farro and genre-skipping producer Mike Elizondo step in, and the result feels raw, alive and full of intent.

‘charity//’ opens with a familiar pulse: the blink-182 influence still lingers, but the energy is sharpened. Then comes ‘too many jocks turned rockstar//’, a jolt of glitchy, indie disco chaos that sounds a bit like a nu-ravier debut-album-Foals. It's unexpected, but it works brilliantly.

‘orphan//’ is the heart of the record. A reflection on grief following his mother’s death, it’s heavy but never resigned. Final track ‘mona lisa, we miss you//’ carries a lighter touch, the tone hopeful without pretending everything is fine.

Across four tracks, KennyHoopla sheds the weight of expectation and reshapes his own creative world. ‘conditions of an orphan//’ doesn’t try to be part of any scene: it’s about standing up, however broken you feel, and making something that still hits.