Pastense is a Boston emcee best known for his work with such artists as Uncommon Nasa and Shortrock. His last album was An Astronaut’s Dream, done in collaboration with Willie Green, and released in May of last year. This time around, he’s teamed up with a Swiss producer by the name of John Sarastro to make one of his most interesting albums to date, The Light Behind Closed Eyes.

The title of the album comes from the idea that the light behind closed eyes is when our ancestors talk to us. What this means in practice is that in addition to exploring this subject material in his rhymes, there are also audio clips spread throughout with various artists talking about what their ancestors mean to them in terms of making art and figuring out their way in the world, or conversely, what it means to feel disconnected from your ancestors. Within the music, Sarastro is laying down some of the grimiest East Coast boom bap you’ll hear this year. Seriously, he might be from Switzerland and making music in 2018, but this album is drawing upon the musical ancestry of New York hip hop of the mid ‘90s with some minimal, slightly eerie beats. This is complemented by some top notch turntablism from the likes of DJ Koldkuts, Shortrock, and DJ Robert Smith. This sets the stage perfectly for Pastense, who comes on the mic with this low, raspy voice, and deliberate flow. He finds a really interesting lyrical balance between pop culture references, abstract imagery, and direct personal tales, which means that you have to lean in and listen a little closer than you might have expected at first, because it’s not always a straight line between his lyrics and the main theme of the album. Once you do, though, you’ve got a really fascinating album that will reveal more of itself each time you listen to it.

The Light Behind Closed Eyes might just seem like a basic East Coast hip hop album at first listen, but there is a lot hiding just below the surface. It’s an album that really requires multiple listens, and meditation and personal interpretation after you listen. It’s an album that you can have a conversation with, which is one of my favorite things to come across.