No Hands by Joey Valence & Brae

Review written by Yippee_173

NO HANDS, a 12 track album created by duo Joseph Bertolino and Braedan Lugue, featuring many guest appearances, is an alternative/experimental hip hop album with many different themes such as nostalgic reprisal, authenticity, being non-conformal, and most importantly confidence. The duo confidently exclaims this notion on their instagram saying, “This album forces you to be confident in yourself and do things simply because they make you happy. […] we make fun of people with false confidence and commend those who are genuine and free” which shows through in some of their lyrics. Many such lines include “Wear a lot of feeling, but i’m not a capper” and “Yes I wear pink, yes I paint my nails, Comfy with myself, I’ma macho male.” It is also important to note the prominent tones that are reminiscent of punk and early 2000s hip hop, as it’s the genre the duo aims for, as previously and most famously seen in their hit single “Punk Tactics” from 2022.

When listening to this album, I can’t help but feel like I am transported back in time to the 2000s as the duo nail the blaring club music vibe. I am not only transported back in time, but it also feels like I am up close and personal with Joey and Brae as the surround sound creates a similar sound of speaking into an underground wrestling ring microphone. This gritty, echo of lingering words mixed with a synthetic jazzy beat creates many songs that feel both conversational and statemental. Throughout the album each song has its own unique differentiation of tempo and instrumentation but yet is connected all together with direct-to-listener, confident lyricism. This confidence is exuberated and is even infectious as the way the duo create almost pseudo crowd chanting echos as a way to call in us as listeners to join in their boasting. There are so many layers and overlapped effects happening throughout these songs but they also shine in knowing when to keep the background track silent for stronger emphasis.

While most of the album falls under the category of older alternative hip hop, they bring modernization to it as they have very clean, distinct vocals with clear mimicked melodies. While the melodies all combine and ramp up together very smoothly, they also use vocals as a way to create melody which adds another layer of depth and texture to each transversal bridge. Furthermore, there is modernity in how there are plenty of songs and instances where the tone will go from very grungy to vaporwave-esque tranquility and then right back to jazzy hip hop. This tonal shift can also be seen in how they use modern meme culture in conjunction with nostalgic video game culture in the lyrics that blend the two time periods seamlessly.

Lastly, throughout the album there never feels like there is a mask being laid across their public image they are creating as it all feels like what they would want or become of themselves. While most of the lyrics are exaggerated for effect, it feels both realistic and genuine in ways that reveal how they want to live. It’s very hard for any musician or artist to ever show true believable authenticity and so the fact they are both able to in such a way that has no frills or makeup shows definitive skill and sense of self.

Wrapping up, Joey Valence and Brae have created an album that I myself, a 2000s kid, would have loved to hear during the time as the amount of self-confidence that the two radiate is inspiring. The fact that they have been able to single-handedly revive the 2000s alternative hip hop style in a modern setting with themes of confidence and authenticity wrapped in popular nostalgic elements is beyond astounding. They are truly able to carry the weight of the genre on their shoulders together all while being able to truly say “look mama, no hands.”