“Becoming the Villain,” the opening track on the new self-titled album from Columbus rap trio DEADART, sets the tone for everything to follow. Within the track, the musicians explore the blurred line between heroics and villainy, establishing a series of themes that surface throughout the record, including the challenge in finding the will to move forward living in a society plagued by violence and greed. “I desperately want to feel like there’s a future,” raps Happy Tooth, who’s joined in DEADART by fellow MC BDotJeff and producer Fisk. It’s an idea Happy Tooth later returns to on the staggering “Someone Else’s Dream,” on which he offers up a question that lands at the bruised heart of the project. “Am I excited for tomorrow when I fall asleep?” he asks. Rather than offering up a direct answer, Happy Tooth allows the question to hover in the air, with the rest of the record serving as a murky response: sometimes, perhaps? - Matter News/Andy Downing