Four years ago today, Indianapolis rappers Oreo Jones and Sirius Blvck dropped their debut album alongside producer/vocalist Sedcairn (f.k.a. Jookabox, for all the freak-folk lifers out there) as 81355. Since the release of This Time I’ll Be of Use, Blvck has remained prolific as a solo artist quickly establishing his own lane over less-ambiguously hip-hop instrumentals, while Jones released a record last year that felt more akin to the pop-rap tradition. In the interim, 81355 played occasional shows, slowly expanding into a full-band lineup.
The trio’s recently announced album Bad Dogs was introduced with a single called “Guitar” that managed to encapsulate all of this change within the band over this period of time (most notably the “live band” thing, given the titular instrument’s spotlight during an instrumental break late in the song). Yet its follow-up track “Heart of Stone” feels more closely descendent from their debut’s unique sound, with Jones and Blvck trading verses over a hazy-yet-heavy beat courtesy of Sedcairn, who contributes vocals to the chorus. “‘Heart of Stone’ feels like a poem for the unsung,” shares Jones of the track—which, like “Guitar,” pivots from the pandemic-era gloominess of their debut to a reflection on the joys of creation—“a song for those who won’t leave this world fully seen, yet spend their days pouring every fiber of themselves into the act of creation, finding salvation in the sheer necessity of expression.”
Emphasizing his bandmate’s point, Blvck adds: “We fell in love with the process, not the result. Whether people listened or not, I’ll still be in this basement tinkering along like a mad scientist, tryna center myself.”
Check out the Pace Rivers–directed video for the single below, which sees the band’s performance of the track inviting cops to have unfortunate stage-diving experiences. Pre-order the group’s debut for Joyful Noise here ahead of its July 11 release, and catch 81355 on tour at the dates listed here.
