

Even within Icewear Vezzo’s remarkably chill discography, Ladies Free ’Til Midnight stands out for its nonchalance. Vezzo radiates cool, reflecting an undeniable charm that comes from the way words emerge out of thin air; he’s like a ventriloquist in the way he seems to rap without moving his mouth. And yet, the message is obvious. Opener “Contagious” uses a percussion-heavy beat accented by sparse melodic squawks, and the Motor City spitter’s triplet flow gives the song a certain momentum, like a boulder slowly gaining speed as it tumbles down a hill. On “Mines for the night,” he explains in no uncertain terms that he’ll provide transport home, but past that first encounter he can’t make any promises.