Slug and Ant are back at it.
Two years after releasing Fishing Blues, Atmosphere has returned with their ninth studio album, Mi Vida Local—which, as the name implies, is intensely focused on the place it was created: the southside of Minneapolis.
The last time we checked in with Slug and Ant was on Fishing Blues, the latest chapter in a string of albums showcasing the pair’s evolution from tortured hedonists into settled-down dads making kicked-back rap records. It would have been nice to carry on thinking they were finally at well-earned peace after two decades of extensively documented trials and tribulations. But just because your corner of the globe is peaceful, that doesn’t mean that the rest of the world stops turning.
It’s a different place than it was two years ago and Mi Vida Local reflects the ways in which the world–and Atmosphere’s place in it–have changed. The idyllic domesticity of the past few records has morphed into anxiety over keeping loved ones safe during turbulent times. Instead of bragging about backstage misadventures it’s about grappling with mortality. The easygoing collaboration between Ant and Slug has started to feel more like the life-or-death intimacy of two men trapped together on a lifeboat.
At times it’s a heavy album (“I might be the last generation of grandparents,” goes a key line from “Virgo”), but it’s far from grim. There are jokes being cracked, joints getting smoked, a little trash talking and beefing here and there–after all, it’s still a rap record.
Arriving at 12 tracks, Mi Vida Local comes equipped with features from The Dynospectrum, Musab, deM atlaS, The Lioness, and Cashinova. Press play below and be sure to add the album on your preferred streaming platform.
