With two gold records and a literal handful of ARIA nominations already under his belt, it’s no great secret that Drapht is a songwriting prodigy.
Whether you focus on his lyrics, his melodic hooks (or focus on nothing at all and just enjoy yourself) as a songwriter Drapht can pretty much do everything. Each of his four subsequent albums – Pale Rider (2003), Who Am I (2005), Brothers Grimm (2008) and Life Of Riley (2010) – brought increasing levels of complexity and refinement, ascending Drapht to the absolute upper echelon of Australia’s stacked card of hip-hop heavyweights. Already, he is one of the greats.
Fifth album Seven Mirrors continues the upward incline of Drapht’s artistic output, showing off even more songwriting flair and linguistic dexterity than ever before. Piecing each song together with a myriad of rhythmical, melodic and lyrical hooks, Seven Mirrors puts Drapht’s arsenal of musical weapons in the hands of an amazing list of collaborators and guests – sometimes pairing with music royalty and other times introducing exciting new voices. Party anthem Mexico (featuring Dune Rats) is begging to be a single, Don Quixote (featuring Hilltop Hoods) feels destined to be a live favourite, while BAD blasts out of the speakers with the scorching voice of LA-based Nat Dunn, and Monsoon introduces Byron Bay’s smooth-toned Bradley Stone to the world.
At the apex of this mountain of talent is Drapht himself, directing this cast of virtuoso musicians with grand vision and fastidious execution. Seven Mirrors weaves colourful narrative and wit with the stern fabric of personal expression and catharsis. Drapht delves deep and reveals a lot on Seven Mirrors. The album chronicles Drapht’s personal relationships – whether introspective, family, with partners or exes – exploring them through the concept of the Seven Essene Mirrors… the existential premise that our relationships reflect back upon ourselves. Perhaps the height of Drapht’s skill set can be seen in how masterfully subtle this narrative is throughout the album. There’s a concept album to explore if you want to get deep, but Seven Mirrors can also just be a bangin’ set of tunes, if that’s what the occasion calls for.
A perfect blend of thoughtful introvert and entertaining extrovert, Drapht’s connection has always been his realness. When we look at Drapht we can see ourselves reflecting back. Seven Mirrors is a beautiful metaphor for this connection; an album that is as much for the writer as it is for his fans. Once again Drapht has stepped up and once again he is at the absolute top of the game. Welcome to Seven Mirrors…
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