Hyped hip-hop duo Paris Texas showcase their individuality on their defining debut MID AIR

The scuzzy track, accompanied by a high-voltage video clip featuring cars and bandaged men, unexpectedly took Twitter by storm. An excitement and buzz around a duo that felt like something completely away from anything we’d heard on this side of the pond in particular.

Two years later, their debut album MID AIR has finally arrived, and it is an album that delves into what makes them so exciting.

The beauty of Paris Texas is that they are hard to pinpoint. At the base of it, producer Louie Pastel and rapper Felix are a hip-hop duo, but through the seamless blending of rock, punk and even nu-metal influences, they bring their appeal up an octave. The album name and artwork alone imply that nothing is set in stone – they simply float in mid-air with ease.

The album is filled to the brim with punchy and definitive tracks. “BULLET MAN” carries an intoxicating energy, meanwhile tracks such as the bouncy “NüWhip” and “Earth-2” have a pristine production that brings a whole new dimension to their discography. Elsewhere on the album, the theme of anxiety swirls around with defiance, particularly on the creeping “Everybody’s Safe Until…” and on the distorted “Closed Caption”. Other tracks carry their very own ideology. Teezo Touchdown’s “Full English” references UK delicacies such as Nando’s, Tesco and King Krule, meanwhile the slow-paced, bordering on emo “Ain’t No High” penultimately closes the album with a little something different.

The critical thing to take away from Paris Texas’ debut is that they are technically knowledgeable. The combination of Pastel's slick production that dips and dives between many sonic influences and Felix’s fast-paced, demanding raps make for a sound that is truly theirs. A sound that was first developed and admired on their EPs, it is a winning sound that drives them into pole position. It’s the perfect encapsulation of the duo’s impeccable style. A dazzling introduction to new fans, and a crystal clear familiarity for fans that have been here from the beginning.