Revisiting Gabzy’s EP – ”At The End of The Night”
“Gabzy’s most vulnerable & honest body of work yet”.
When Gabzy released his sophomore EP, At The End Of The Night last year in May, his core fans may have raised their eyebrows like Carlo Ancelotti in extra time. And in truth, I could understand why. It marked a deviation from the “Malone” alter-ego he had identified himself as. Which was the polar opposite of what At the End of the Night presented.
But before we deep dive, I need to answer these questions: Who is Malone? Why do they call him Malone? In fact, what the hell is Malone? Thankfully, the answers are there in Gabzy’s 2020 solo debut EP which is called “Malone”. (I’m sure you had that figured out already).
Gabzy Malone
In his solo debut, Gabzy embraces his dark side and is very deliberate about the composition, as he conveys the rarely discussed personal battles that most guys go through when it comes to commitment. Through skillfully written verses on a polished production, he takes a different approach to dealing with this subject matter, which comes out as extremely toxic. But he pulled it off, and the audience adored it. The EP churned out hits like “As Friends”, “Toxic” and the “Malone Interlude” where he thoroughly explains who this alter-ego really is.
“Malone is a flyboy, many girls want Malone he’s a fine boy. // Malone like the finer things, He won’t buy you no wedding ring. // He’s only gonna break your heart, Are you sure you wanna break your heart?”
GABZY – MALONE INTERLUDE
He paints a vivid picture of who Malone is. A stern persona who struggles with internal conflict about the idea of making a commitment and settling down. But in I’m Sprung we see a glimpse of him letting his guard down. He is willing to give his girlfriend the world and all the finer things as he contemplates settling down. And it is this vulnerability he explores in his sophomore EP.
At the End of the Night – Recap
Every time Melvitto and Gabzy collaborate, the result is a classic concoction of love ballads and era-appropriate melodies. Melvitto plays the Executive Producer role in “At the End of the Night,”. At the same time, Gabzy retains his form from his previous projects.
Gabzy is one of the rare writers in this generation with a deadly pen. And he didn’t hold back on this EP either; he skilfully crafts realistic tales of heartbreak, betrayal, love, forgiveness, and gratitude. With a tracklist like “Rice and Peas,” “Shoulda Coulda Woulda,” and “God Bless My Enemies,” he creates a mood that gets you curious enough to keep listening for more.
This EP’s opening track, “Way Too Much” featuring newcomer“Dayor,” where they both grieve the end of a romance, still conjures up a gloomy vibe to date. Gabzy sing-raps his stanza over sultry guitar loops, as he muses about his breakup. Dayor on the hand, delivers one of the best verses of 2021. He sings about the ups and downs of his relationship with such sincerity over a strained chorale harmonization.
Gabzy uses relatable metaphors and imagery to describe his vulnerability. The storytelling in his records is strengthened by the richness of his descriptions and delivery. This is evident in “Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda,” our top pick from the project, and in addition, the familiar ‘summer-ready’ vibe of “Rice & Peas” makes it tough to resist including it on your summer mix to date. Even if you’re not a diehard fan, you just want to scream “Gabzy shey o ma je rice and peas”.
At the End of the Night – A Year Later
I keep returning to this EP even now, a year later. It is simply a soulful musical composition that combines clever songwriting with an amazing sound design and a splash of Gabzy’s lyricism. At the End of the Night has up to this point been Gabzy’s most vulnerable & honest body of work yet. The Melvitto-produced ‘Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda’ is one of my favorite songs ever, it is so empathetic that it just leaves you feeling pensive.
It is also important to emphasize that ‘True Colours’ is gravely underrated. The production is sublime, the talkbox effects are exquisite and reminiscent of Daft Punk’s early 2000s smash hit; One More Time. In addition, the songwriting is well-executed. The track links perfectly as the bridge in the project.
Closing out the EP is the spiritual ‘God Bless My Enemies’, woven through with lively organ tones, as Gabzy reflects on how his faith brings him strength. The intro of this song sparks memories of Meek Mill’s legendary Dreams and Nightmares Intro. The cheeky prayer for his opposition (opps) was always going to be a creative touch.
Overall, the project feels like it was made essentially for a night drive back to your home after all the club and party noise is over. This EP is not only a solid body of work but it is also a slow-burner that is future-proof due to its production, themes, and overall cohesion.