Review Summary: When I'm with you it feels like music...
Hyperpop has admittedly been an incomprehensible method of musicking for me since its wide theatrical release 10 odd years ago. Its brash, schizo-coded structures are perfectly suited for the listless scrolling they usually accompany online and seems specifically designed to distract rather than captivate, inspire, or even entertain. I felt it an audio equivalent to a glitter bomb, a loud and sparkly mess with a thinly veiled nefarious intent. That’s until April Harper Grey (henceforth “underscores”) opened my eyes with
U, a gorgeously produced banger of an album that proves that with a mature eye for songwriting, hyperpop can not only entertain, but downright enthrall. Now, I will out myself and admit that I have not yet heard
brat (a character flaw I will quickly remedy) and am unfamiliar with the paradigm shift in this space that came with its release so
U is my first exposure to hyperpop with a capitol “P”. Described as music “for malls, airports, hotels, supermarkets”
U has the grounded thematic elements and progression of a road trip album, only instead of locales hundreds of miles away,
U is the soundtrack to your daytrip in the city.
There’s an addictive momentum in
U that feeds this feeling, an energy that infuses every song with pastel charm that unravels itself with each listen. And there’s a ton to unpack musically with
U. True to genre,
U’s songs contain up to a half dozen tonal changes and tempo shifts that can be overwhelming to take all in if not for underscores’ brilliant penchant in letting her work *breathe*. Pulling this off so fluidly while going 100 mph is nothing short of amazing and speaks volumes to the time and work underscores put in experimenting and piecing
U together. After “Tell Me (U Want It)” introduces listeners to underscores' beautiful marriage of catchy pop melodies and bouncy rhythms, “Music” grabs listeners by the throat and forces rapt attention. Its drill influenced beat sets a punchy tone that underscores (the artist) juxtaposes with a soaring chorus line to perfection. There’s meaning and purpose to the composition that foreshadows the notion of transience and movement within
U’s makeup, both physical by way of the album’s theme, as well as emotional.
Lyrically,
U tackles underscores’ struggles with developing real connections romantically due to her rising star. The hypnotic “Lovefield” is a good example of this. While certainly the slowest cut on
U, it’s also the most traditionally pop track, a welcome choice as underscores turns off the effects on her voice to mourn an unrequited love. It’s sad, it’s “slow,” but it retains
U’s infectious energy and fits nicely within the album’s larger modus. But it’s the next track “Do It” where underscores faces her stardom head on with a charming wit that’s impossible to jeer at. Set to a dark trancy groove, the artist delivers belter after belter to prospective partners outlining the troubles they will, not might, face by pursuing her:
“Don't you get it?
People get my lyrics tattooed on their bodies
It’s all under control, 'less you *** with it
I'm tryna run a business here”
It’s hilarious, it’s disgustingly catchy, it’s cocky as hell, and I can’t help but be hopelessly endeared to underscores for it.
U has the familiar markings of a huge coming out for the artist. It’s technical excellence as a musical product cannot be overstated. For a pop album to be this busy yet possess a pocket as deep and rich as underscores displays here is simply amazing. For someone who was previously unfamiliar with her oeuvre,
U has forced me to stand at attention and pay the same. Just excuse me as I fan these flames of fandom.
