LIMITED EDITION CASSETTE TAPE available here courtesy of El Gran E Records elgranerecords.bandcamp.com/album/together-alone

"Thort’s latest addition to the indie rap canon with Smokey131 is all you would expect from Australia’s weirdest wordsmith and Germany’s throwback master producer. Following Weightlifters, which was and probably still is my favorite Thorts album, Together Alone finds the duo with some big shoes to fill and I think it can safely be said they’ve managed to duplicate the magic that made Weightlifters so special.

Smokey’s beatmaking has, to me, has always shown an abiding love and respect for that classic pre-turn of the century era sound. It utilizes the dustiest of jazzy samples, looping them in such a way as to emphasize their percussiveness over melody. Think Muggs or Ant before he Turned That Snare Down (as opposed to other jazzy sample choppers from that era). The result are these gloomy, eerie offerings that are so effective with Thorts sense of off color humor and willingness to address difficult subjects and ideas.

I’ve heard a few other rappers songs with Smokey, and I truly believe Thorts is the one most suited for these soundscapes out of all of them. I expect much of that comes from that fact that these two undeniable veterans came up steeped in that sonic quality of the mid to late 90s, so when it comes to the proper treatment of some throwback jams it just comes naturally.

I dunno. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what works so well when these two hit the studio. But as I said above, if you’re looking for something dark, deep, moving, gritty, and above all nostalgic look no further than Together Alone (but do yourself a favor and cop Weightlifters also because Thorts131 shit is as close as I’ve ever found to the rap that got me into rap a few decades back.)

Oh and big ups to CalQTeK, Staplemouth (these guys should do a full length together),Parkwaechter Harlekin, heirMAX and the peerless Kady Starling for the guest vocalizing, and Swab for some razor sharp cuts. Every guest feature elevates the song and meshes well with the mood, something that is not always possible working with quirky personalities like those behind Thorts131." - Dimxsk (Underground Fossils Blog spot)