Stanza Shares Second Studio Album, Seldom Silent
Stanza Shares Second Studio Album, Seldom Silent
November 15th, 2024
Hailing from Wellington and living in the Bay of Plenty, Stanza’s first album Syllable Science made waves when it was released in November 2023. Bolstered by two EPs in 2024, as well as a new single every month, Seldom Silent is the latest addition to Stanza’s discography.
Seldom Silent releases today and contains 18 songs for a total running time of 54 minutes. Maintaining his characteristic focus on poetic lyrics, complex rhyme schemes and creative flows, Seldom Silent also represents a distinct evolution in Stanza’s ability to make real rap catchy and danceable.
The name of this album, and the theme it carries, both pertain to Stanza’s first-hand experience of tall poppy syndrome. 2024 has seen Stanza deal with violent assaults, death threats, professional sabotage and poor health. Seldom Silent represents Stanza’s idea that no matter what happens, he will never stop creating art that makes himself and his audience happy.
The recording for Seldom Silent was completed entirely within Stanza’s home studio, with his canine son Tāne curled up under the desk. The studio recordings were completed between June and August of 2024.
The album was engineered by Bulgarian producer A.C Productions (Alexander Chernev), who has made significant contributions to Eastern European hip hop in recent years. Stanza and A.C have had a brilliant working relationship for over a year, and their chemistry in post-production is becoming more and more pronounced with each release. Previously, the pair have targeted a raw, uncut and underground sound, which has been received well by listeners all over the world. However, for Seldom Silent, Stanza and A.C attributed more of their focus towards a more clean, polished and mainstream sound. Nevertheless, Stanza’s strong and rebellious delivery still shines through.
Seldom Silent contains features from five very talented rappers; Fozter from Nigeria, who has won multiple BoomPlay awards, features on Track 12 of the album, ‘I’m Still Hungry’. Fozter has also been described by legendary rapper Tech N9ne as his favourite rapper in the world.
New Zealand rappers Kazey J, T-13 and TACTIX also make their presence felt, featuring in the all-kiwi cult cypher, Rondo, which was pre-released as a single in October and has already garnered over 10,000 streams.
As a personal philosophy, Stanza doesn’t shy away from new ideas. He believes that each aspect of his songs can be satisfied to the highest level, and constantly self-reviews and critiques his music, allowing him to relentlessly rework creations and reach new heights with each release.
As a whole, Seldom Silent portrays Stanza’s specific personal experiences in a way that is relatable and empowering to the listeners, while remaining upbeat and catchy.