The Backburner crew out of Toronto/Ottawa/Halifax is a large group, and as a result, there are many subsets contained within. One of those groups that’s been working at a steady pace over the last few years is Swamp Thing, the trio consisting of Chokeules, Timbuktu and Savilion, starting with the Grindhouse EP dropped back in 2012. The last time we heard from them was just October of last year, when they teamed up with fellow Backburner artist Ghettosocks to release an album called The Octagon. Now they come back with another Ghettosocks partnership, The Grindhouse 2.

Swamp Thing has always worked with a horror/sci-fi aesthetic, but as they’ve gone on, it feels a little more like they are just making hip hop, and as horror and sci-fi fans, there are just lyrical and production references spread throughout whatever they do. So while The Grindhouse 2 isn’t some strictly themed project that is beholden to grindhouse movies, there are never too far away from some references that will sate the nerdier fans looking some obscure similes. While just about all involved have done some producing before, Ghettosocks takes the reigns for this particular project, and he brings in some classic East Coast boom bap to the proceedings, with samples here and there that will nod to particular themes. The EP starts on something of a sci-fi theme, with “AI” and “Aliens in Flying Saucers” giving space for the emcees to riff in their rhymes about computer, robots, aliens, and space travel. After that intro, the music opens up a little bit, with room for the abstract imagery of “Cure For Everything,” or the political rhymes of “Fittin’ In.” The real key here is chemistry, and all four artists here have known each other and have been working together for a long time, and while they all bring their unique perspective to the project, there’s a shared language between them, which allows for a great balance of humor, nerdy references, abstract imagery, and rhymes about real life. It makes for a really complete listening experience in just eight songs.

I don’t want to tell Swamp Thing how to live their lives, but at this point they might want to rename themselves or make Ghettosocks an official member. These four artists know how to make some incredibly solid hip hop, and they’ve done it once again with The Grindhouse 2.