Any platform using a numeric rating system for albums is disserving the art they cover AND the critic's platform.

Use words.

Economically speaking, sales, AKA supply & demand, determine a limited resource's worth. ART is not as simple as gasoline.

Visual charm cannot get you everywhere;

Writing will always be a craft.

Do the Dirty Work.

I stumbled upon this album,

"Dirty Work,"

through Tidal's featured albums. I never heard of em', so I figured,

"F*ck it, why not?"

The intro track, "009," doesn't make sense to me. I just found out Hero is from Montreal. I don't know the significance. My assumption is that it's a play on 007 (James Bond), but I refuse to find that info* (See Notes) Though, it does let the listener know that this is not a conventional album. Introductions are tricky, but Hero masters the trade of information and surprise as "Dirty Work" launches us into the first song "Stay the Night."

In casual EP fashion, the first two songs sound the most cohesive out of the bunch. I can hear the simple, hummable melodies being played in a nightclub and a department store. It sounds like a knock, but it's a salute.

Multi-purpose jams are the shit.

The second half of the EP is more experimental than the first. The stereorization of the kicks in "Note to Self," is reminiscent of Release x Timbaland + Justin Timberlake, by the way they sit in they sit in the mix and add a groove, without being overpowering. I appreciate the chances being taken, though I tend to like the mixes less. Sure, a less clean mix comes with taking chances, but the snares are missing in the high end in tracks where the high hats, vox, crashes, and rides don't fill the place. Regardless, the drums of "Dirty Work" are funky, and serve as a seamless juxtaposition to the 80's vibe & electronic vibe.

I'm not entirely sure of the EPs purpose. The album was done through Fool's Gold Records, a Electronic/Hip-Hop label HQ'd in NYC, so it wasn't to get a deal. Not gonna get into my soapbox now, but dropping EPs while signed leaves fans disappointed and limits the artist's display of talent, even if the reason is that they’re contracted for X amount of albums in the deal (relevant when trying to get OUT of the deal). If it were festival season, it makes more sense, but it's winter in North America.

To continue, there is only one person credited on Tidal; I find this to be both lazy & a product of 1 of 2 TERRIBLE things:

The album didn't include collaboration of any sorts. Meaning, it could have been way better if the leading artist ceded some creative control.
Others aren't being credited for the world to see. People should get their roses while they can smell them.

Nonetheless, "Dirty Work" encouraged me to dig into Hero's discography. A few tracks on this album with make it to playlists, but I won't likely listen to it straight through many times. My commute to work is 25-35 minutes & this album can't get me there. I'm excited to hear a full-length album. I also WANT to follow this guy on socials...

Hero is a cool stage name in theory, but it doesn't work in the Digital Age & Search Engine Optimization. I damn near gave up trying to find his Wikipedia page because his name is just "Hero." THEN, TO MAKE IT WORSE, the album's title is "Dirty Work." His album art doesn't come up. for a while in Google images. This poor SEO hints that there may be a collaboration issue on his team. I would think that one of these label heads would be able to lend assistance in that area. Let me know if I'm buggin. I don't think I am. If anyone knows his twitter, please let me know.