Black Dresses - Forever In Your Heart
Black Dresses are technically not a band anymore. They broke up in 2020 due to harassment from fans, and even with the release of this album, they still say that they’re broken up. With this interesting background and some really fascinating album art, I definitely had to check this out. I will say this about Black Dresses, they don’t sound like anyone else I’ve ever heard. Their combination of industrial, noise pop, metal, electronic, punk, and a plethora of other genres is something that is completely and holistically unique. Even with how crazy the combination of sounds is, the production still manages to be forward thinking and entertaining throughout. The vocals can be a bit whiny at points, and think this is the part that will hold me back from loving this as much as most people, but you really need to put in time to love this project. I can’t imagine many people loving this project after one listen, or even a couple listens. So if you want to challenge your music listening journey, Forever In Your Heart is here for you.
Mavi - End of the Earth
Mavi became one of the biggest names in the sLums Collective with his 2019 album Let The Sun Talk and this is his first work since then. The cover really drew me into this project, as it’s obviously inspired by the Shel Silverstein book, When The Sidewalk End. Mavi’s voice bleeds emotion throughout the entire EP, but especially the first track, “Time Travel”. There’s more than just emotion though, as Mavi’s lyrics are introspective and dense. They make this five song EP feel a lot longer, as they need many listens to fully digest. The production also fits that sLums sound with most being grimey, looped samples that would perfectly fit someone like Earl Sweatshirt. There’s no denying any aspect of this project, Mavi has everything. The production, the lyrics, his voice; everything for a great hip hop project is here and this lets people know that Mavi is not a one project wonder.
Jimmy Edgar - Cheetah Bend
Jimmy Edgar has been around for a while, but his relationship with SOPHIE is clearly what influenced him on this project. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s not. Most of the songs here are pretty good, especially his production on them. Some of the features are pretty big and add a lot to their songs. SOPHIE herself shows on up “Metal”, which was half of the lead single for this project with the other half being “Get Up” with Detroit rapper Danny Brown. Hudson Mohawke helps produce “Bent”, another electronic banger with a decent amount of SOPHIE influence. Even 16 year old Matt Ox shows up for a track. The project runs more like a playlist than an album, but most of the songs are enjoyable to people who already enjoy this sound. But if we’re being honest, it shows just how ahead of everyone SOPHIE was, as she was making songs in this sound almost a decade ago that are better than almost anything Jimmy is doing now. Still, Cheetah Bend is a good electronic project and one of the best electronic projects so far this year.
Danny L Harle - Harlecore
I really appreciate what Danny decided to do on this project. He attempted to create a club atmosphere for an album since clubs aren’t a thing right now. There are one of four different monikers that are each song; DJ Danny, DJ Mayhem, DJ Ocean, and MC Boing. They’re all monikers for different artists, which are Danny himself, Hudson Mohawke, Caroline Polachek, and Lil Data respectively. Each artist brings their own sound to this project that helps break up the sound for people not that well versed in this sound. Even though the sounds are different, each one is a burst of sound, much like all the colors on the cover art. He brings a more traditional electronic sound to the PC music camp that he was a part of during his rise. Now that it took almost a decade to get his first album, Harlecore is a solid start that will please people missing that live electronic feeling.
Julien Baker - Little Oblivions
Julien Baker is one of the biggest names in a genre that is starting to gain lots of traction. The alt rock, sad girl sound that is becoming huge is due to her, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. Bridgers has now easily surpassed the other two in popularity with her 2020 album Punisher, and Julien is back with her first solo album in four years. Her style is noticeably more upbeat than Phoebe’s, but I’m not sure this project will have the same impact as her’s. Her songwriting is still solid throughout most of these songs, as are her vocal performances. “Crying Wolf” and “Faith Healer” are two good examples of both of those things being great, and they’re each in a different mood. Even though the production is more upbeat for the most part, it makes this project blend in a bit too nicely with the rest of this sound. I am curious to see if this one grows on me like Phoebe’s did, but as of now, it’s clearly another solid project from Julien.
Payroll Giovanni & Cardo - Another Day Another Dollar
Payroll Giovanni and Cardo together are helping bring back the laid back, west coast gangsta rap sound. Even with Payroll being from Detroit, the sound is still distinctly west coast music. Cardo has been a part of many songs you have heard, including producing “God’s Plan”, “Goosebumps”, and “THat Part”. I’m not sure if this new project together surpasses their previous material, but it lives up to the quality of their previous projects. The entire project stays in the vibe and the runtime being only 35 minutes is a great factor for this project. It’s giving a bit of sunshine during the winter, but a little part of me is curious why they decided to release this during the cold. Songs like “Eyez Closed” and “Mob $hit” are examples of more upbeat songs on this project, while the slightly slower ones like “Everyday” help balance out the project. The duo came through once again with a perfect project to ride around to.
Duke Deuce - Duke Nukem
You’ve seen the Duke Deuce meme, even if you’ve never heard his name before. The video for his hit single “Crunk Ain’t Dead” features him being revived and dancing with his friends and that’s become one of the most popular memes of the year. This is now his second project after that song and he doesn’t stray from the formula. Every song on here is upbeat, filled with that crunk energy of the early 2000s, and ready for the second that concerts return. Everything here is over the top and aids in the extreme setting Duke sets. Just look at the cover art. It’s an outrageous sight with the toy gunmen sending a nuke that’s being carried by the WTF-Inator. This project is that explosion of energy for people that want it. I can only imagine how perfectly this project must fit as workout music. If you miss the Three 6 Mafia and Memphis crunk days, this is the person you should be listening to right now.
Rome Streetz & DJ Muggs - Death & The Magician
I first heard of Rome Streetz through his feature on Conway’s most recent project. He sounded perfect on that song, so now that he had a project come out a few weeks later, I know I had to check it out. I may not personally like this one as much as Conway’s, but it’s definitely just as objectively good. The beats are all grimey, sample filled, and fit Rome’s voice perfectly. Rome’s flow and bars are top tier, even in this bar heavy style that he’s in. While his delivery is still good, it’s not as instantly gratifying as people like Conway and Benny. The subject matter is just as filthy as the project sounds with Rome rapping about his time in street life. It’s a look into a lifestyle that’s completely foreign to what most of us have experienced. Death & The Magician has gotten better every listen so far and is yet another helping of great, grimy hip hop.
Olivier St. Louis - Matters of the Heartless
This project actually dropped at the end of January, but Olivier comes through with a fantastic, timeless soul album. Most of the R&B and soul being made now caters to the new sounds, especially with the additional trap drums and the subject matter being more outlandish. That’s not to say this is outside the mainstream, on the contrary. “Running Wild” sounds like a slightly more mature version of something that would’ve been on the Despicable Me soundtrack. “Steady” has a house-inspired groove that seems like it could be a hit on an alt-radio station as well. Underground hip hop artist Oddisee produced the entire project and shows up on another highlight, “Confliction”. He’s a big reason why this project sounds so timeless and authentic, as Oddisee’s music has that same feeling. So for anyone who likes traditional soul music, this is definitely a project that you’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of.
Kelly Rowland - K
Kelly Rowland has slowly retreated from making new music since Destiny’s Child. Her last musical project was from 2013, but she decided to return with a new EP in 2021. She has maintained a clear R&B sound from her older days and there’s no denying that the connection between her and Beyonce is still there. “Black Magic” and “Hitman” sound like something off of Beyonce’s Lion King: The Gift project from 2019, and it’s so alike that it’s almost a problem. Thankfully, the other four songs are all really solid. “Crazy” is an upbeat R&B tune that’s perfect for motivation during those easy going days. The project closes with two slower, almost ballads, but thankfully each of them feature some great singing and engaging production. K isn’t going to blow anyone away, or be one of the best R&B projects of the year, but it shows that Kelly is still making favorable music after more than two decades in the industry.
Lava La Rue - Butter-Fly
I’m not sure where I have heard of Lava La Rue before, but this EP drew my attention and I’m glad it did. Looking through her streaming services reveals one album before this one, and that project relies heavily on collaboration. While this project does have a couple collaborations with Deb Never and Clairo, she’s not reliant on them. She does a bit of everything vocally, going through a myriad of hip hop flows to singing within the same track. Songs like “Magpie” and “Angel” are evidence of this, where it seems like she’s singing the choruses and rapping the verses. I do prefer her singing, but Lava La Rue is still competent as a rapper. I do like every song on here, but my favorite probably has to go to “Goofy Hearts Club”. It’s like a ballad got mixed with a skittering electronic instrumental. Butter-Fly likely won’t make her blow up, but it was good enough to get my attention and hopefully the attention of more people.
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