Life of a Dark Rose

On “Welcome to the Rodeo,” the elastic intro to *Life of a Dark Rose*, Lil Skies proclaims that he’d tattooed his face to keep himself committed to music. The Pennsylvania native’s faith paid off before he was old enough to drink—his “Red Roses” was one of 2017\'s biggest underdog success stories. That song, while melodic and ethereal, betrays the impressive lyrical precision that Skies packs into much of *Life of a Dark Rose*. He\'s a dynamic vocalist and wordsmith, just as prepared to ride the emo guitar line of “Cloudy Skies” as he is to rattle off complex couplets over spacey chimes on “Signs of Jealousy.”

The buzzing rapper’s debut mixtape is an easygoing 40 minutes of sugary trap and mellow, blissfully hazy vibe-music that runs with the sounds of the moment without advancing them much.