April 9: In Case You Missed It

It’s April, which means we’ve had three months of music. For this week’s edition of The Crossover Appeal, here are some records I didnt’ get a chance to call out from the first quarter of 2022 that you should be checking out anyway.

ICYMI: Q1 2022

High Dragon and Universe by Alice Longyu Gao

Alice Longyu Gao is a Chinese performance artist, DJ, songwriter and rapper who dropped an aggressive, innovative, blast of chaos with this EP at the start of the year. A sonic blitz of musical scraps that adhere together beneath the shade of Longyu Gao’s massive personality.

Check: “Underrated Popstar”

Hollywood Gangsta by Nas

Teaming up again with HIT-BOY on the boards, Nas continues to prove why he’s one of the few true living legends in the East Coast hip hop scene. Hollywood Gangsta is energetic, hard-hitting, and crisp, full of earworm flows and classic beat selections.

Check: “Meet Joe Black”

Food for Thought by Che Noir

Riding with unassailable confidence atop grimy production, Che Noir has made the case for why her voice is among the most important coming out of an increasingly competitive Buffalo scene. Che Noir’s bars are raw, intense, and sobering. Keep any eye on her career - she’s already a force to be reckoned with.

Check: “Communion”

Night Call by Years & Years

Only Alexander, the artist behind British electropop R&B outfit, Years & Years, has slipped this pop magnum into the early parts of this year, and it’s criminal how much it seems to have flown beneath the radar. Bouncy, soulful, and sexy - it’s a club ready glitter bomb begging for perpetual life on the remix scene.

Check: “Sooner or Later”

The Overload by Yard Act

This debut album arrives at a particularly crowded moment when it comes to compelling British post-rock bands, but it nevertheless case demands attention. Funny, acidic, and DIY in its execution, The Overload is a sign of great things to come from this young group out of Leeds.

Check: “Rich”

fawn by Foxtails

This new Foxtails record is something else. Moody as hell, dreamy in parts, crashing with screaming intensity in others, it’s a gorgeous evolution of classic Midwest screamo that made me long for a patchouli-rancid mosh pit.

Check: “life is a death scene, princess”

Epigone by Wilderun

Wilderun makes long, phantasmic progressive metal records full of dense references to folk mythology and rock bands you’ve never heard of. Epigone is the best version of that they’ve made yet. Expansive and beautiful, it’s a perfect orchestration of their many influences into a singular sound that manages to get out from under the shadow of better known groups like Opeth who this kind of metal has become so tied to.

Check: “Distraction I”, “Distraction II”, “Distraction III”

Good and Green Again by Jake Xerxes Fussell

This Durham-based singer-songwriter is new to me and I’ve been grateful for the introduction in this first part of the year. Lush and intimate, this record is everything I want in contemporary Americana. Its modest dustiness belies some of the prettiest artistry you’re likely to ever hear. This record is always walking that fine line between the mythic and the mundane.

Check: “Rolling Mills Are Burning Down”

Few Good Things by Saba

A portrait of survival and achievement against a backdrop of racialized violence, this record is one of the year’s more ambitious hip hop releases. Saba, along with producers Daoud and daedaePIVOT, have put together a focused track list that showcases Saba’s flexible flow beautifully.

Check: “Survivor’s Guilt (feat. G Herbo)”

Heterosexuality by Shamir

Shamir’s debut record, Ratchet in 2015 was an instant favorite, but since then I’ve been only inconsistently into their discography. With Heterosexuality, Shamir’s new genderqueer masterpiece, I’m firmly back on board. It’s a woozy and weird journey that centers Shamir’s stunning voice and wit among deeply atmospheric pop instrumentals.

Check: “Cisgender”

Marchita by Silvana Estrada

What a beautiful, haunting record. Marchita is a misty, soulful experience that combines traditional Mexican folk influences with classical and jazz cues into a quiet romance that seeps deep into the heart. Silvana Estrada’s voice is a revelation - powerfully emotive and instantly heartbreaking.

Check: “La Corriente”

Who Cares? by Rex Orange County

We love to see growth, and with Who Cares?, the new full length from xillennial bedroom pop artist, Rex Orange County, growth is on full display. Two parts melancholy and one part sentiment, this record is a quiet afternoon rain sandwiched between a blue morning sky and a moonlit night.

Check: “One in a Million”

The World Is Going to Ruin You by Vein.fm

Loud, and I mean loud nu-metal influenced metalcore for the new decade. Like if Iowa-era Slipknot listened to a lot of Nails on the come up. It’s a noisy blast furnace of a record that affectionately embraces the best elements of 00s hard rock.

Check: “Fear in Non Fiction”

Diaspora Problems by Soul Glo

This Philly-based hardcore punk outfit absolutely rips, and this new record of theirs is a musical carpet bomb that totally shreds the room. The energy is constant and the anger is righteous. It’s as good as I can imagine punk sounding in 2022.

Check: “Fucked Up If True”

Melt My Eyez See Your Future by Denzel Curry

With this record I don’t think there can be anymore justification for leaving Denzel out of the conversation when you’re talking about greatest current rappers. It’s a total beatswitch for Curry whose previous records have drawn on trap and bounce influences - with Melt, Curry is mining jazz and soul for sounds you’d anticipate from a Blu record. And he sounds fantastic on it. Best bars of the year, no question.

Check: “The Last”

It's been a fun year already in music - if you check out something new and end up loving it, let me know on The Crossover Appeal facebook page and make sure you subscribe to keep up with the weekly recs we put out every Saturday.

Jordan Cassidy