Wool See is the alter ego/fictional band project from Oldominion emcee IAME. He first premiered the project back in 2014, and has been releasing music under the name at a steady pace ever since. Just one year after the release of their fourth full length album in as many years, Wool See keeps the pace up with their fifth album, Ewe Gross.

Ewe Gross is an interesting album in a few different ways, but mostly because it’s a mostly instrumental album with some rapping on it, with no outside guests, which is not a formula you see too often. It works though, largely because Wool See has such strong sense of identity as a producer. This is an album full of dark, weird, grimy, trap-inspired underground beats. When Wool See hops on the mic, it can be any number of deliveries, from some song choruses to classic East Coats raps to auto-tuned melodies, to stream of conscious flows that make you lean and in and try to figure out where he’s going with things. There’s a slight bit of pop accessibility here and there, but it feels like every time there’s something close to being pop friendly, Wool turns the dial and goes further out into left field, maybe bringing in some free jazz or some industrial sounding beats. All bets are off, basically. While there is this fluctuation in style, Wool See does manage to make it all work, putting all of these different elements in conversation with each other. It might seem a little odd at first, but if you trust in Wool, you’ll start to see everything come into view as he steers the ship through these turbulent waters.

Ewe Gross isn’t going to be for everyone. It does require a little bit of patience and an adventurous ear, and sometimes just a flat out appreciation for how weird Wool See can make hip hop sound. For those willing to take that risk, though, there are plenty of rewards to be had.