Since the release of his 2017 debut LP, Forever Wanted More, CJ Flemings has become one of the brightest stars of Montreal’s burgeoning Anglo rap scene, capable of delivering both moody R&B and instantly rewindable, tough-as-nails bars. That versatility made him electronic producer (and fellow Montrealer) Lunice’s first call for his own 2017 album, CCCLX, which ended up featuring the young rapper and singer on three hard-hitting tracks. The cover of Flemings’ second LP Mascara Tears depicts him as a Slenderman-type figure stalking through shadowy woods, but these 10 tracks prove he’s not hiding from anybody, whether it be ex-lovers (“Petty”) or jealous naysayers (“Don’t Know You”). Producer Michael Lantz (Jazz Cartier) perfectly complements the vocalist's icy-hearted confessions about love and loyalty with orchestral trap beats that draw on classical Latin guitar (“Acquainted”) and jazz influences (the second half of the two-part suite “Try Me / Loyalty”).