MIKE & Tony Seltzer's Secret Sauce Is Still Present On "Pinball II"

Wed, May 7, 2025 at 8:57 AM

MIKE and Tony Seltzer are back just over a year later with their second entry in their now-growing Pinball series. With them finding a formula on the inaugural tape, the New York natives are developing into one of the duos to know. They definitely have the motion in the underground though, that's for sure.

What we liked so much about the first Pinball was the new sonic landscape that Tony Seltzer laid out for MIKE. A mixture of trap, cloud, and some Southern hip-hop were genres that were foreign to the abstract/alternative rapper. But MIKE's druggy and nonchalant delivery complemented the soundscape very well.

So, when they announced Pinball II, we were very excited. After giving it some spins, we are pleased overall. Is it miles better than the original? Probably not. But there are some slight tweaks that show enough improvement.

For starters, the sequencing is A1. That's not to say that it wasn't good one the first one. But there a several times where the tracks seamlessly bleed into each other. "Sin City" to "Dolemite" is just an example.

Another thing is the beats are more aggressive, and it typically is for the betterment of the record. However, the major drawback that's keeping us from calling this an album of the year contender is the tracks are too short. It's leaving us wanting more, especially from the tracks that do slap. But it's still a fun and solid sequel. Check out Pinball II on Spotify or Apple Music below.

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