D Gut is one of the members of the RDFND collective out of Birmingham, along with K1NG ELJAY, Mel Crozby, and Richard Daniel. The last time we heard from D Gut was just about a year ago, when he collaborated with K1NG ELJAY on The Process. Now he comes back with a solo EP called Litmus.

The full title of this EP is Litmus…Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Embrace The Flaws. What this means in practice is that this particular EP is an introspective project from D Gut, one in which he does a lot of soul searching as he tries to figure out who is and what he wants out of life. D Gut produces the entire project as well, crafting a style of soulful Southern hip hop that is reminiscent of early UGK or Outkast, but Gut definitely puts his own spin on things. Ultimately, this is a head phone type of project, something that sounds great on your headphones as D Gut digs deep and does his best to examine his own flaws and figures out how to deal with them. There’s a good use of playing back some voicemails from friends reaching out and offering support and encouraging him to write. We get one guest on “Easter Suit,” when K1NG ELJAY drops in to share he frustrations with life, but also to encourage his friend. My favorite track on the EP is “When The Whiskey Hits,” partly because he brilliantly flips Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Bottle,” but also because of the clever lyricism that starts off the song as a party anthem and then slowly becomes a cautionary tale about learning to be disciplined and careful about consuming alcohol. While this EP does explore and embrace flaws, this is ultimately an optimistic project, one in which D Gut owns his faults and in doing so can make steps forward with his life.

This is a short project from D Gut, but Litmus is an impactful listen. He’s an incredibly honest emcee, and low key a really talented producer. You might not know him before you listen to this EP, but you’ll feel like an old friend after listening to this release.