Before I start this week’s column, I have an announcement. From First to Last, the screamo band which launched Sonny Moore, aka Skrillex, has released a new song. As a teen from the era of wailing sorrow and breakdowns, this is a big one. Since Skrillex’s success so eclipsed the success of his former band, it seemed unlikely that we’d ever hear from them again — despite many of their emo contemporaries taking only a few years apart before cashing in on a reunion tour. This all said, there were a lot of better emo-tinged songs released this week. Here are some of my favorites:
070 Shake: “Accusations”
The flurry of Kanye West-produced albums released in June contained a ton of hype, a lot of disappointments, and a handful of great moments. Relative newcomer 070 Shake’s hook on ye’s “Ghost Town” carries the album on its back, because it sounds great but also because its overtly emo hook (in the mid-2000s sense) feels more inspired and exciting than anything else on the album. This prominent placement earned 070 Shake a spot in the lineage of Great Guest Verses On Kanye Records, which seems to be as sure an indicator of future success as any award show nomination or marketing tool. This new single from 070 Shake continues the streak she’s been maintaining; belting each chorus almost to the point of outright shouting, she leans into the hurt. Emo-fueled rap has dominated much of the young rap underground for years now, and its time at the top of the charts seems only to be beginning.
Empath: “Only One”
Empath, this week’s obligatory Philadelphia band, makes slick and forward songs and then drapes them in layers of noise and glitz. This track, from the new 7-inch Environments, reminds me of the music of Crying in the way that it bridges a number of seemingly disparate styles. It begins with a bouncy guitar line before falling into a blistering lo-fi charger only seconds before an arpeggiated synth line kicks in. There’s a lot going on here! It kind of fulfills the desire I never knew I had in 2009 for No Age and Ponytail to be the same band. Empath is touring this fall with Swearin’, another great band who put out their first song in five years this week, “Grow into a Ghost.”
Chance the Rapper: “65th and Ingleside”
Okay, okay, there’s a lot of people with big opinions about the four new songs Chance the Rapper dropped last week. I do think it’s easier to get excited about these songs if you take them as they are: essentially a four-track EP, the first solo releases he’s let loose in quite a while. The tracks function well as album tracks; there’s no smash hit hidden in here, but I don’t feel like that’s the point of the release. My favorite of the bunch is the final track, “65th and Ingleside.” The song, which explores the history and dynamics of his relationship with fiancée, features a Taking Back Sunday-style chorus (or rather, a 070 Shake-on-“Ghost Town”-style chorus) built for stadium singalongs. I enjoy it, even if the haters on Twitter don’t!
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