New Music: Sole - Destituent

Happy hump day! Hope the week has been going good for y'all and if not, know it's downhill from here. Our review this week is Sole's 7th solo studio album Destituent, which drops officially on the 20th but has already been released to those of us who preordered the album. It's not too late for some of the options, check it out here!

Or, if Bandcamp is more your thing you can find the same deals there, with the digital album dropping the 22nd.

The whole album, like most of his newer projects is entirely self produced, and was funded through his patreon. I'm one of his supporters, the monthly song is usually dope, and given the Podcasts and hands on approach from Sole (he's very responsive and chill) it's probably one of the better deals on Patreon out there, I recommend it for any serious fans.

Regarding this review I do want to state outright that, while these days separating Sole's politics from his music is like separating the stripes from a zebra, since this is a music blog I will stick to only the albums merit as a work of music. There are a lot of other places online that discuss the type of messages he conveys. That said, if you don't agree with Sole you probably will have a hard time enjoying this record. He's never been one to tone it down or soften his opinions to sell music, and I love that about him but do admit that for some this album may beat you over the head a bit more than you'd like.

Destituent is Sole's attempt at a new wave punk rap album, using samples from 80's era pop songs to create a sound that is cinematic, sounding like the background music to the type of movie I grew up wathcing. The dark tone of his content goes well with the distorted drums and eerie synths, although there is a catchy quality to these songs provided by his choice of samples that hasn't always been evident in his earlier work. It makes them more accessible than the stuff he put out with Anticon. It also offers a bit of light and hope to an otherwise very dark work.

Songs like Shipwreckers II and Measuring My Cage have interesting production, and Sole's lyrics have evolved over the years from rhyming, to not rhyming, to kinda rhyming to doing whatever he feels fits the song. In this case it gives his poetry a dreamlike quality, though not quite stream of consciousness. It sounds more natural this way, he's not trying too hard to be different, but at the same time he's not constrained by what others are doing.

I liked this album, but I've pretty much liked everything Sole's released going back to Northern Exposure. To sum it up for you guys, I think Destituent is a solid Sole album, with some better examples of his production and a mature sound. It's worth a listen for everyone, but especially if you like Sole you shouldn't be disappointed.

Below is the music video for the opening track, directed by kidDEAD. It sets the tone for the rest of the record.