Thorts is an emcee from Bunbury, Australia who has been making music for years, and has worked with some American artists you might be familiar with, such as Ceschi and Eligh. His last release came in January, when he released an EP with Aetcix called Frog Brothas ‘99. Now he comes back with a more personal project, and EP titled Chrysalis.

The opening track to Chysalis, which is also the title track, might be just a little deceiving at first, since there is a certain amount of playfulness to the production, with some isolated short samples and bouncing bassline providing an interesting combination of weird and fun. However, this doesn’t last long once Thorts hops on the mic, who quickly lets you know that this isn’t about to be a “fun” project, as he starts rhyming about his struggles with mental health. This continues over the course of the next three songs as well, as Thorts uses the music to deal with issues of pain, depression, loss, and anger. This is, of course, what music is there for, to help us express these emotions and process these confusing and troubling times in out lives. The good news is that he’s got long time collaborator and producer Aetcix to help him, and it should be noted that after the opening track, the mood gets much more somber, and Aetcix finds a nice minimal approach to the EP that lets Thorts’ lyrics stand out front as he works through these issues. It also helps that Thorts is more than open when his comes to his lyricism. He’s not afraid to put the whole messy situation out there as he tries to sort through all the confusing and conflicting thoughts and emotions that he’s wading in. Swordplay, the artist now based in Berkeley, provides a beautiful hook on the closing track, “Painting,” which adds a nice touch of melody to the proceedings.

Chrysalis isn’t a fun listen, but not everything needs to be fun. Life is hard, and a lot of the times things just don’t make sense. Art can help us process these moments in life, and Thorts has made some beautiful art as he uses his hip hop to bring these issues of mental health to the forefront of his EP.