Gold Coast’s Lemaire requests that you leave all expectations at the door, as his highly anticipated debut EP, ‘What Did You Expect?’ brings a whole tonne of flavour back in to Australian Hip Hop.

The EP is a journey deeper into the creative world of Lemaire, an artist synonymous with seamless genre-blending and fearless production. For Lemaire, this release is dedicated to the passion that drives himself and fellow creatives. It’s an ode to the countless weekends, afternoons and social events he sacrificed in order to play gigs and attend studio sessions. In his own words, “Now at 24, when I bump in to people from school and they ask, ‘Still doing music?’, my response is always the same - ‘What Did You Expect?’

‘What Did You Expect?’ brings some much needed funk back in to Australian Hip Hop, with definite nods Anderson .Paak., Kendrick, and old school flavours from Biggy, this EP bristles with simplicity and groove. Listening to EP opener, ‘WHAT?!’ there’s plenty of space left between the funk guitar, the simple bass thump, and the Paak-ish beats (the cheeky cowbell is the cherry on this groove). This all allows for more movement from Lemaire, and guest artist L33ze. Earlier single, ‘Ford Laser’ has a slight Daft Punk feel, and makes an ode to the quintessential shitbox become such a slamming track.

Sandwiched in the middle is light groover, ‘Be Myself’, which features a guest verse from Sydney Hip Hop artists, BOY SODA. While it lacks the punch of the earlier two tracks, it serves as laid-back intermission (though the verse from BOY SODA adds a cool twist to the track). Second single, ‘Shiraz’ adds some fatness back in to the mix, while EP-closer, ‘Cola’ pops and sizzles as a funky, summery jam. It does feel like the bass line has been robbed off its tone a little bit, until you realise it needs to leave room for those low subs. Lemaire’s flow on this last track is faultless, and bounces off that funk guitar/bass line/funk beat combo. Overall, Lemaire’s ‘What Did You Expect?’ is adding a little spice to a genre, which in this country, has felt a little flat for some time. Lemaire explains the history of the songs and how he was trying to express himself through these tracks.

"Most of these songs were born in my bedroom studio and although I have had help on the final nitty-gritty production and mixing, I believe the humility of these songs still shines through. I have tried to be the most authentic version of myself on these tracks, and I don't see that changing whatever comes after this."

What Did You Expect? follows Lemaire’s explosive start to his already impressive career. With a string of smooth singles, including ‘Shiraz’, ‘Ford Laser’ and ‘Rocket Ship’ - a clip that amassed over 1.5M YouTube views and massive hometown performances at Miami Marketta, Lemaire shows no sign of slowing down. He’s previously teamed up with iconic Aussie acts including ILLY, Nerve, JK-47, Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy), James Angus (Example, The Veronicas), Tia Gostello and Ali Barter and received a finalist spot in the 2021 Queensland Music Awards for Best Hip Hop/Rap artist.

With a catalogue full of searing hot singles, and now a glowing debut EP under his belt…it’s clear listeners can expect a whole lot more from Lemaire.

You can stream ‘What Did You Expect?’ now on all streaming platforms.