Virginia rapper Austin Fox 狐 has returned with his brand-new album, SCORIAN VALLEY. The 15-track project follows his Ranger396v album, which was released last year to a great reception. Featuring a rugged boom-bap sound with some funky neo-jazz elements intertwined with lo-fi beats and Austin’s smooth rap flow, the album is a must-hear and delves into issues surrounding betrayal that can occur with those closest to you when striving for success. As seen in several of the track titles, fire is the theme of SCORIAN VALLEY (derived from the word “scoria”, which is a volcanic rock).

Elaborating further, Austin says, “SCORIAN VALLEY is the next instalment in my discography and my most exciting project to date. The story continues with my point of view as I journey down the rabbit hole of my pursuit of musical independence within the industry. Since the journey began, it seems like things have started to ‘heat up’ and thus where the fire analogy sort of began. As the album progressed, I wanted to hit a few pockets that I have been leaving out of my music, notably singing and harmonising. The tape promotes the ideals of being content with yourself and learning how to ‘harness the flame’ that can be hard to hold in times of envy and competition.”

The album’s focus track, “Relatives”, features rising UK rapper/producer Tony Bontana, who produced several tracks on the album. The track touches on self-alignment and learning to harness the energy within oneself and is reminiscent of artists such as MF DOOM. Speaking further on the track, Austin says, “‘Relatives’ is a statement on surrounding yourself with those who have your back and are in your best interest. It’s about dealing with that trauma of betrayal from those closest to you.