TXTMS is the collaboration between Bay Area artist OneWerd and Brooklyn artist Dan Dillinger. While they come from opposite sides of the country, their similar styles actually drew them together to form a group and invite a bunch of friends along for the ride. They now release their debut self-titled EP.

A quick glance at the track list for the EP, you might think that this four-song collection is just a small sampler of things to come. However, when you look a little closer at the track lengths, and then spend some time listening to the EP, you’ll realize what a complete listening experience this is in and of itself. In the past, OneWerd has delivered some high energy music that just blows you over with huge EDM hits and verbal dexterity, but in pairing up with Dillinger here, you might be surprised at how reigned in this project is. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of crunchy, eerie, and just weird electronic sounds to OneWerd’s production, but things are slowed down a bit and the big hits aren’t there, which in turns allows Werd and Dillinger and company to focus on the emotional content of the lyrics. And that’s really the key to TXTMS – the lyrics. This EP is about making personal and emotional connections between emcees and listeners, and they are doing it with personal confessions and excellent storytelling. This includes guests like Gajah and Megabusive, who can also throw down with some fun times, but come through and show their more sensitive sides to match the work that Werd and Dillinger are doing. The whole thing comes together to create this really immersive and intimate listening experience that works really well on headphones.

I don’t know if and when we’ll get more from TXTMS in the future, but for now they’ve switched things up and presented a different side than you might be expecting from an introductory EP like this. It’s a nice change of pace, and it really allows you as a listener to really feel connected to the group before they turn the heat up.