The Doomtree sub-group known as Shredders came together a couple of years ago, with P.O.S., Sims, Lazerbeak, and Paper Tiger forming together like a ball of energy. They released their first EP, Dangerous Jumps, in 2017. Now they’ve come back with another EP of all killer with Great Hits.

When Shredders released their first EP in 2017, they were coming off the heels of two intense and personal solo albums from P.O.S. and Sims. The result was an EP that felt like this burst of fun for those two, feeding off some big beats from Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger. You could just hear how much fun they were having with each other with this load off their chest as they got back to the basics. Now that a couple of years have passed and they’ve all worked on other projects in the meantime, coming back to Shredders feels a little more focused and purposeful. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still barrels full of fun to listen to, but it also feels more centered. Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger are bringing the heat with their beats, fusing together influences to make these house/industrial/hip hop tracks that hit you like a ton of bricks, but then pick you up, push you forward, and get you moving. The real key to the whole EP, though, is just how P.O.S. and Sims just pop off the record as they come at you from all angles with their lyricism. This EP is a masterclass in how to emcee, with these two dropping all sorts of clever wordplay that will have you hitting pause and rewind, but also delivering these cutting social and political observations, and pairing that will some pressing calls to action. It’s an EP that I’ve listened through countless times, often two or three times in one sitting. That’s because this album is so densely packed with information while also being enjoyable to listen to, it takes a couple of times through to feel like you got everything you needed to out of the EP.

Shredders knows that it’s dark outside right now, but they also know that they can provide the soundtrack to the revolution. These are songs that will pump you up, fill you with information, and then kick your ass out the door, because you’ve got work to do.