“Magic”

The Swedish rapper Thaiboy Digital is best known as a sidekick to Tumblr-rap lightning rod Yung Lean. On tracks like “Tiger” and the Lean-featuring “Diamonds,” Thaiboy played the role of gooey hook-man, gurgling formless Auto-Tuned melodies over lo-fi beats. As with Lean, much of Thaiboy’s work to date has smacked of hero worship; if one sets aside the black metal-meets-vaporwave-meets-Houston aesthetic of the videos, most of his early songs read as little more than Future cosplay. However, with his latest single “Magic,” Thaiboy’s own sound is finally coming into focus. The song’s GUD-produced beat is airy and minimal but hardly amateurish. Thaiboy sounds right at home on this terrain of icy synths and sleek drums, singing and rapping with a newfound confidence and charisma. His melodies are sharper, his rapping is crisper, and he’s starting to lean into his unique accent and delivery. “Magic” finds Thaiboy Digital beginning to emerge not just from the shadow of Yung Lean, but from the longer shadow of his influences.