Bending Mouth

Thesis Sahib has released a couple of solo albums and worked on a few collaborative projects, but it’s still his work with Selfhelp under the moniker Bending Mouth that stands out most. The duo built a small cult following with a limited run of their debut album and thanks a fan in France, Bending Mouth gets a limited but very vital vinyl treatment with an EP of some of the best songs from their debut. As on the album, the jewel of the EP is "Stolen From Family,” a critique of current politics and society over a dark beat produced by Sixtoo. In fact, nearly every song is produced by someone different (Savilion, Kilgour, Jesse Dangerously, Lazyman, G-Force and Timbuktu all contribute) and yet the sound remains consistently dark and artsy hip-hop over the eight songs and intro. Selfhelp and Thesis are perfect rhyme partners, often harmonising with each other and exchanging lines effortlessly. While nice to have some Bending Mouth on vinyl, one can’t help but wonder why no one thought to sweeten the deal with an unreleased track or even a remix. But maybe I’m just nitpicking.