Castles by Blimes

Castles highlights Blimes' ‘take me as I am’ approach; unafraid to address the importance of spirituality, personal truth and self-love. ‘Look At Me Now’ sets the tone of the record, illustrating the landscape of her San Francisco childhood that built her to be the artist she is today. ‘Hot Damn’ is a soulful sizzler that features Wu-Tang legend Method Man and has a familiar retro feel but Blimes gives it a contemporary twist. The sharp production is courtesy of long-time collaborators Lou Koo and Cambo who also play every instrument on the track and handled recording and mixing duties across the entire album.

“If I said it then I’ll do it, if I want it I’ll pursue it” is the mantra of ‘My Dance’, one of the darker cuts on the album that sees Blimes asserting an ambitious, headstrong tunnel vision. ‘Woke Up In Paris’ feels like the celebratory victory lap, featuring underground cult rapper Reverie and was produced by Chase Moore.

Blimes is based in LA but originally from San Francisco. She founded the all-female imprint Peach House Records in 2016, with the mission to “empower creative females by collaborating with female directors, photographers and designers.” If that wasn’t enough, Blimes and Gifted Gab formed the new duo B.A.G. off the back of their venomous collaboration ‘Come Correct’, which went viral earlier this year, clocking over 12 Million views and counting across all platforms.

Blimes’ punchy lyrics and r&b vocals marry sensuality and playful wit, modeling that hip-hop need not be two-dimensional. Castles sees Blimes exhibiting a confident, unapologetic voice whilst celebrating and sustaining a sense of vulnerability.

From the heart of SF, championed by the likes of Method Man, Bahamadia, and other greats in her genre, Blimes' passion for musicality shines through gritty bars and battle rap punches to meet you with melodic vulnerability in a marriage of rap, and alternative RnB. Blimes made The Source’s Unsigned Hype and got BBC1’s World’s Hottest Record before playing the US festival circuit w/ Gifted Gab.