Moka Only
To the Next Season (URBNET)

Trust us, you already know Moka Only.

Not only did his vocals punctuate the Swollen Members songs that soundtracked your high-school hookups, he also had a brief stint in Len, the Toronto band behind the exasperatingly catchy single “Steal My Sunshine”. Three Junos, five MuchMusic Video Awards, and 11 Western Canadian Music Awards later, Moka Only is still pushing the envelope with his rap.

The hip-hop star is, without doubt, one of Vancouver’s most prolific musical artists, releasing 12 full-length albums over the course of 2016. (Yes, you read that right.) And while skeptical listeners might assume that the quality of the performer’s tunes would take a dive in the process of recording so many songs, they’d be wrong.

The rapper’s final release in his 2016 collection, To the Next Season, captures everything that’s unique about Moka Only’s recent sound. The album’s breezy, old-school feel marries jazz riffs and reverbed drum patterns, providing the foundation for the artist’s familiar palette of muted bass tones and relaxed melodies.

A true Vancouver record, To the Next Season has a local flavour to its lyrics. Album opener “Come Back!” gives a nod to the Pacific Centre food court, “Everyday Rain” makes reference to the precipitation that soaked Vancouver over October and November, while “Where Did All the Muffin Shops Go” is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Metrotown cafés in the 1990s.

Resisting the urge to follow mainstream hip-hop into the world of aggressive trap music, Moka Only wisely sticks to his trademark sound on To the Next Season, creating warm fireside jams that will persist well beyond winter.