Rising Northern rapper ATO (pronounced: atu) follows his 2021 Side A EP with the second chapter to the story – ‘Side B’ released last Friday (29th July) via MCMXCV.
Featuring recent singles ‘COLD’ and ‘COURTS’, featuring Jay Bahd, and new unheard singles ‘nu balance’, ‘Straight Light’ and ‘outro’, this highly personal body of work was predominantly written in ATO’s bedroom. Always looking to tell his story both visually and sonically, dropping alongside the EP today is the video for ‘nu balance’ that sees a documentary style snapshot into the life of ATO from the other side of the lens.
Speaking on the EP, ATO says:
“In the time of making SIDE B, I was feeling the fragility of the world around me and found myself more committed to pushing through different feelings and emotions. The project is so desperate to find answers that the honesty is admittedly impulsive and naive at times. I feel that as a result, the vulnerable sides collide with the more resilient moments and give a more holistic reflection on the themes of love, mental health, masculinity, coming of age and pride explored.
Whilst SIDE A marks the birth of what now feels like my sound, I believe SIDE B is more refined than any of my previous projects. The wide range of production influences from stevexcooper, Jonathon Ng and singular balance, inspired me to take steps beyond my comfort zone and experiment more with melody and freestyle than I have done in the past.”
Why not check out ATO’s new EP here and his new video below…
New Lease Music 