New Artist Spotlight: Paris Texas

By: Noah Concordia

I first stumbled upon Paris Texas upon their first official release, Boy Anonymous and the fresh sound that they produced immediately captured my attention. The group is made up of producer/rapper Louis Pastel and rapper Felix; who met in community college in Los Angeles. Paris Texas represents this new generation of indie, punk rap. 

Their song “Better Days'’ off of Boy Anonymous saw the pair being braggadocious over a celebratory trap instrumental with a clean beat switch which prompts a reflection about their younger days versus their newer, more dangerous lifestyle. Drastically different from “Better Days”, the song “Heavy Metal” showcases the group's hunger for rapping over rock n’ roll style beats. Louie and Felix spit back and forth with overwhelming confidence on a rock-trap beat with a sick guitar solo throughout. 

         Now, the duo is back again with more genre-redefining music. Paris Texas’s Red Hand Akimbo is the 5-song follow up to their May 14th project “Boy Anonymous”.​​ The duo combines this alternative rap swagger they have with rock n’ roll beats on their new project. Songs like “Dr. Aco’s Miracle Bullets” and “BULLSEYE” showcase their aggressive punk rock style which we only saw hints of on their earlier project this year “Boy Anonymous”. It is almost hard to describe the style of this group because they are so distinct and something the rap industry has not quite seen. Throughout their EP, they rap about women, chain-smoking cigarettes, toxic masculinity, prioritizing friends over money, and bragging about their unique style. Red Hand Akimbo is a short and cocky statement from the pair, pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a rockstar. 

Paris Texas is like a swiss army knife; being able to tackle any genre of rap. Going from alternative rap to pure rock n’ roll to punk trap on one album displays their genre-bending talent. Nobody knows what exactly is next for Paris Texas, but one thing is for sure: it will be something that not many of us have heard before.