‘Opposite Of Adults’ is the song that electro-pop/rap duo Chiddy Bang selected to introduce themselves to these shores. It’s a great presentation of the twosome, in the sense that it’s a track that pretty much encompasses what Chiddy Bang is all about; a mixture of big bouncy basslines, stuttering techno noises and unconventional sample choices arranged by Noah “Xaphoon Jones” Beresin acting as the foreground for the swift, fairly sharp flows delivered by rapper Chiderao Anamege. It’s a party track that generated moderate chart success as a result of the genuinely interesting use of MGMT’s anthem ‘Kids’.

Their EP The Preview follows in the footstep of the aforementioned track, with many of the songs sticking to the formula of combining an intriguing sample from a fairly alternative artist with some brassy hip-hop beats. Take recent single ‘Truth’ as an example that uses Passion Pit’s ‘Better Things as a starting point, ‘Bad Day’ also borrows its nasal vocal from indie hipster Darwin Deez’s same titled track. One wouldn’t exactly be wrong for adorning the boys’ interest for a alternative pop sample with the tag ’gimmick’. But credit must be given when due, these melodies/vocals are always used in an inventive way, where the original source is recognisable but never to the point where it overshadows the rest of the arrangement.

However, ironically it’s when the tracks are 100% original when Chiddy Bang’s star shines the brightest, with future single ‘The Good Life’ swelly hook setting up camp in my brain after only a few listens, praise must also be given to the slightly dub-step influenced ‘Here We Go’ with hip-hop legend Q-Tip sprinkling the track with a bit of urban stardom. Witty wordplay isn’t completely amiss with the odd ingenious line like the one below cropping up every now and then:

”The flow is medium rare // Bring the steak out”

This mini collection of songs is a soundtrack suitable for any American collge party, and that realisation comes with no real surprise due to the fact that C.B’s journey thus far is highly indebted to underground buzz that was created via local colleges, when fellow students stumbled across their Myspace. Obviously this electro-pop/rap duo may not be on par with fellow college dropout Kanye West, in terms of genius wordplay or an innovative selection of beats. However, this album-taster displays the boys keen eye for a tuneful melody and various enjoyable indie samples. But come next year when their debut The Swelly Express is released, the amount of originality present in the material is what will truly determine whether or not these guys make their own stamp.