Richie Ashwin is an alternative/hip-hop/R&B artists who really demands attention. His self-titled EP is a focused run down of everything Ashwin is capable of – and that would be strong melodies, subtle hooks, a silver tongue and big beats.

The EP opens with the beautiful cinematic alt-hop of ‘Glass Heart’, a track that opens in a gentle unassuming manner but builds to possibly the best song on the EP – a catchy piece of emotional-tinged alternative R&B that immediately finds a place in your heart and head.

And ‘Glass Heart’ sets the tone for the rest of the EP – it’s a very emotional affair, with a lens held closely on the theme of love. And the gentle cinematic sound runs throughout, producing an enjoyable journey that is never aggressive or threatening. It’s a change of pace from a lot of new hip-hop oriented artists.

From the inspirational grind of ‘Until We Bleed’ to the dubstep-courting ‘Chasing Summer’, it’s a consistently powerful EP that never strays too far from the sound we’re introduced to at the start of the release. Though that’s not to say there is no experimentation: ‘Chasing Summer’ explores a more electronic-oriented dubstep-esque sound than the rest of the EP, and closing track ‘Dear Ex’ is a glorious freestyle rap over dramatic spiritual instrumentation.

We love this EP. It’s nice that once in a while, somebody will come along and mess with convention and not stick to an overused formula. And Richie Ashwin does just that on this EP. Check it out, it’s worth it. You can listen to the EP here.

8/10