New York artist Aaron Taos questions the validity of the music industry in his new track ‘Is It Anything?’, accompanied by the equally uncertain rapper Khary. It’s woozy and smooth, with steadily laid out beats and soothing guitars; this acts in almost direct contrast to Taos’ words. He goes into great detail about the motivation behind this track: "Right now, a career in music – the constant questioning: 'Am I good enough? What am I trying to say? Do I even want it anyway?’ With the current state of music – everything being produced and released at such a rapid pace – I think it's important to constantly step back and re-evaluate what it is that you really, actually want to say and why exactly you're feeling disappointed, excited, or any number of highs and lows that come with this stuff. More generally, it's about the process of going down the rabbit hole chasing a goal, whether it be a career, a person, or a feeling and when/if you finally attain that thing – is it all you thought it would be?" Toas’ inquisitive mind is matched by Khary’s effective word play, who draws on the Matrix for comparison, “Is anything real? / Drowning, I wish I had me a gill / Morpheus hit me the red and blue pill,” and goes even darker for the line, “We never put down our phones, / We’re seppuku with the gadgets.” Whether you work in the music industry or not, no doubt you can relate to the overwhelming feelings expressed by both Aaron Toas and Khary - it’s merely the state of the times. - Hannah Thacker