#genre-innovation

#genre-innovation

R&B in the 21st century has been in a constant state of flux, tugged between safe traditionalism and blurry attempts at progression. For the last decade-plus that "progression" has seen R&B music become more indebted to trap records and the moody atmospherics of alternative bands like Radiohead, Coldplay, or My Bloody Valentine.

It's right there in the title of the first track, "Vegetation Grows Thick," whose textures feel like mutant organic tissue. With dusty hip-hop drums straightened out and sped up, it feels a bit like an old Mo' Wax record left in a damp attic until it grew mold in its grooves-humid, buzzed, and a little blissed-out in its spongy transformation. It's a head rush grounded in the earth, electronics running through soil and sending messages to god knows where.

On the block, I was listening to Mitski. This detail provides a striking contrast to the familiar scenarios in UK rap, highlighting a mood of vulnerability and introspection.