(disclaimer: AIM judge review here! these are just my opinions and thoughts, you can take from them whatever you like! music is subjective and all that. <3)

super cool! i dig the style, and respect the lyricism and willingness to write and rap through personal stuff. the emotional resonance comes through both in the words and in the periodic increases in intensity like near the end in "it's unbelievable..." and the last chorus. i think you matched the mood pretty well to the erupting volcano and, of course, the overarching theme of "rocks" lol. i liked the handful of little chops/stutters too, a personal favorite thing to hear in music

probably the only thing that stands out to me here is that there are a bunch of places where the accents in your flow and in the music are shifted from how they would be spoken. on one hand, i like the consistency of your rhythms, and in that respect i'm sure it's a deliberate decision on your part, but at the same time, some of those spots can feel a bit awkward and harder to parse as a listener. i wonder if there is a middle ground where you can both make 'unusual accents' part of your style while still having good diction. or maybe it's just not my preference! i dunno - just food for thought! either way i think this is great!

AIM 2023 Judge Review

It's interesting to read about how this song evolved from one about an explosive relationship to the perspective of one experiencing an explosive relationship first-hand. The 7/4 metre is an unconventional choice that makes for some sense of unevenness akin to the surface of a rock. I also really like the way the chorus deals with the repetition of the word "rocks" at different volumes and in almost a breathy-sounding tone - it's as if the word is pelting down in a series of smaller pieces. To me, it definitely sounds like the song deals with the aftermath of the explosion - the volcano has erupted and now all the ash and uh, rocks are raining down.

Even though I like the way the chorus handles the lightness of the vocals, I feel like the entire song needed a bit more of a harder edge. The accompaniment also seems very thin and counteracts with the explosive energy and aftermath that the rest of the song conveys. For a song about rocks and something blowing up in one's face, I think the backing track could use a lot more impact. I like the melodic pattern being played in the accompaniment; I think it's just more about how it sounds and the frequencies it occupies.

Overall, I like the song in concept and I feel like a lot of the choices being made compositionally and lyrically help this entry to stand out. My favourite part was the culmination to the shouting of the word "unbelievable" in the second verse. It's neat that this also feels like another sort of figurative explosion that occurs two-thirds of the way in.

I think this is my favorite from you with "u'd never lie 2 me"