Experimental
Mize Returns to Wakaan With Wobbly Single “Refraction”
Wakaan has quickly become home to some of the most innovative producers in bass music, like Mize. Since late 2020, the Alabama-born producer has written tunes for both the label and its sister imprint, SSKWAN. Today he returns for his latest single, “Refraction.” “Refraction” encapsulates Mize’s experimental sound while simultaneously introducing listeners to areas of refinement. Wobbly, resonating low ends collide with dynamic percussion to create a mind-melting soundscape that fans will certainly hope to experience live. Overall, the single is expertly crafted to stand out both in Mize’s live sets and in his growing discography. “‘Refraction’ was one of those rare fleeting moments when I sit down in the studio and everything just...
Oneohtrix Point Never and Rosalía Join Forces on “Nothing’s Special”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-19T17:09:29+00:00“>May 19, 2021 | 1:09pm ET Back in late 2018, Rosalía tantalized fans with a photo of her in the studio with Oneohtrix Point Never. Today, the duo have finally shared the product of their collaboration, “Nothing’s Special”, a new reworking of OPN’s 2020 track of the same name. Singing in Spanish, Rosalía puts her own spin on the lyrics after staying true to the first several lines of Oneohtrix Point Never’s original. Over OPN’s familiar atmospheric synths, she describes the pain of losing her best friend. “Estoy triste, perdí a mi mejor amigo/ Y la vida que vivimos ya no está,” she painfully sings. “Dicho eso aún me impresiona que no sea tan especial/ Si miras co...
Squid Release Debut Album Bright Green Field: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-07T16:39:22+00:00“>May 7, 2021 | 12:39pm ET Brighton post-punk group Squid have just released their debut album, Bright Green Field. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. Bright Green Field spans 11 tracks in total, including the previously released singles “Paddling” and “Narrator”. Squid went all in when creating the record, which can be heard in the 30-person choir, the horn and string ensemble, and their strange use of field recordings of bees. Props to producer Dan Carey (black midi, Bat For Lashes, Hot Chip) for making it all work together in a way that’s not too far off from LCD Soundsystem’s weirder moments. Back in March, we caught up with the five-piece band abou...
TEKE::TEKE Share New Album Shirushi: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-07T17:45:13+00:00“>May 7, 2021 | 1:45pm ET Montreal-based septet TEKE::TEKE have released their debut album, Shirushi. Stream it via Apple Music or Spotify below. TEKE::TEKE named themselves after a Japanese slang term for those into surf culture, which is an onomatopoeia that’s meant to sound like a surf guitar riff. Their sound is inspired by 1960s and 1970s era psychedelic Japanese soundtracks while mixing in modern punk influences. The nine-track Shirushi (or “signs of great changes to come”) covers themes of identity, spirituality, rebirth, and self-exploration, featuring supernatural storytelling across its lyrics. Related Video In the case of “Barbara”, which we named Song...
Dan Deacon Announces 2021 Tour Dates
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-04T16:59:36+00:00“>May 4, 2021 | 12:59pm ET Dan Deacon will be hitting the road in the fall of 2021 with new tour dates in support of his recent album Mystic Familiar. The experimental songwriter had a relatively quiet five years after the release of 2015’s Gliss Riffer. But while many people slowed down during the pandemic, Deacon has been on a tear, returning with Mystic Familiar early last year and following it up with the original score for the HBO documentary Well Groomed. Now, he’ll have the opportunity to show off his work. In a statement, Deacon expressed joy at being able to safely tour again, explaining, “We are all beyond motivated to move on a...
Artist of the Month serpentwithfeet’s DEACON Is a Bountiful Collage of Love and Care: Review
The Lowdown: Serpentwithfeet first gained attention in 2016 with his EP blisters, and then more broadly in 2018, when his debut album, soil , earned praise for its complex and subtle portrayals of love. Born Josiah Wise, he grew up in a religious family and sang in the church choir, and the influences of classical and gospel have long made themselves known in his music. DEACON isn’t quite a departure, but it is a move forward into more expansive territory; the sound serpent has taken on feels like it can accommodate more, and indeed, it does. DEACON is full of songs that wrap around the listener, showing in full resolution serpent’s expertise in using his music not only to portray love, but to extend it. [embedded content] The Good: The influence of religion feels present again here; along...
serpentwithfeet Releases Sophomore Album DEACON: Stream
Our March Artist of the Month, serpentwithfeet has today unleashed his stellar sophomore album, DEACON. Stream the 11-track effort below via Apple Music and Spotify, and read our review here. Serving as the direct follow-up to 2020’s Apparition EP, DEACON marks serpentwithfeet’s first full-length since 2018’s soil. The R&B artist has taken a more pop-forward approach for this release, as demonstrated on early singles like “Fellowship”, “Same Size Shoe”, and “Heart Storm”. Regardless of the shift in sonics, however, serpent is still writing about many of the same vulnerable themes, particularly Black gay love. As he told Consequence of Sound in our recent AOTM interview, “I see myself writing about gay love and Black gay love specifically for a long time. That’s what I’ve been writing a...
Artist of the Month serpentwithfeet on Black Gay Love, Relationship Advice, and Creative Honesty
Artist of the Month is an accolade we award to an up-and-coming artist who we believe is about to break out. We turn our attention in March to serpentwithfeet, an R&B singer-songwriter presently creating out of Los Angeles. When asked about any especially impactful messages from fans about his music, serpentwithfeet immediately recalls a tweet, regarding his Apparition EP, released last year. He quotes, “This project sounds like what happens in a dollhouse when the humans aren’t looking,” which he follows up with a hearty chuckle. “That is such a great appraisal. And I thought it was a great compliment,” he says. It’s also a more-than-accurate assessment, one that couldn’t be placed on just any artist’s work. Originally hailing from Baltimore — before moving to New York City and now, L...
chromonicci. Drops New Experimental Trap Single “Nono”
Steadily emerging from the underground scene into the forefront of experimental electronic producers, chromonicci. has grown to one of the scene’s most prolific producers. We are only in the third month of 2021 and we are already receiving our fifth single from the beloved artist, the maniacal “Nono.” “Nono” is chromonicci.’s first release on BONSAI, the label and collective led by fellow Dallas-based producer capshun. The beat on “Nono” is simple yet infectious, drawing clear influence from hip-hop productions with booming 808s and expertly crafted vocal chops. With rippling synths and a warm beat, it’s forward-thinking trap music at its finest. “I wanted to make something that bangs,”&nb...
Ian Munro Shares Genre-Bending “Solipsism” EP
Releasing experimental bass gems since 2016 with consistency and a desire to always outdo himself, Ian Munro has established himself as an exciting artist to watch within bass music community over the years. With his 5-track EP Liminal back in 2019, as well as a string of experimental singles last year, Munro’s musical output is impressively diverse, something that has allowed him to build a loyal following as well as carry out official remix duties for the likes of Crywolf, QUIX, Mt. Eden and more. Now, Ian Munro is back with his most personal project to date, sharing his genre-bending, 6-track Solipsism EP. Effortlessly jumping between a bevy of genres and sounds, Solipsism showcases his creative vision at its best. Driven by lush vocals and celestial atmospheres—wihch are cont...
Song of the Week: Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Play It Smooth as Silk Sonic on “Leave the Door Open”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak dropped their first single as Silk Sonic. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have teamed up under the name Silk Sonic, which seems to have been a good name choice. Their first single, “Leave the Door Open”, is nothing if not luxurious, velvety goodness. The full-length project, An Evening with Silk Sonic, reunites the two artists who previously toured together with .Paak as an opening act on Bruno Mars’ 2017 “24K Magic World Tour”. Sonically, “Leave the Door Open” is a return to form for Bruno Mars, who ha...
Björk Shares Sonos Radio Mix: Stream
Björk is the latest artist to curate a Sonos Radio station, plumbing her formidable WAV archives for a playlist that touches every corner of the globe. Her channel is called “21 years worth of wave files liquidated into a stream”. As she explained in an interview at the top of the mix, Björk has owned the same laptop for 21 years. It’s become a repository for all her favorite tracks discovered on CDs, cassettes, vinyl, and more — every song that she says “saved my life” she converted into a high-quality WAV format. Now, these sonic chronicles have been distilled down to an eclectic hour’s worth of music, featuring performances by Alim qasimov, Jeremiah, Oui, LFO, Aby Ngana Diop, ML Buch, and more. In a statement, Björk delved into her curation process, writing, “i am quite t...
