Pacific Northwest producer and singer Amulet dropped their experimental club-meets-hyperpop sophomore album Tongue Out Selfie on Friday.
With singles “angelology” and “feel so crazy” serving as beacons of Tongue Out Selfie’s melting cauldron of nutrient-rich EDM, future fairy pop and experimental electronics, the expansive 8-track LP glows with currents of abstract angel trap, starry glitches and pulsing dance beats.
Collaging intricate samplings with personal–almost diaristic–lyricism, Tongue Out Selfie is a maximal-yet-ethereal swerving joy ride. Recording and writing the vocals in the car and during dog sitting gigs and crafting and editing the beats in their room, Tongue Out Selfie’s sonic eclecticism can also be traced to a creative process shaped by diverse collaborators.
“I knew I wanted to work with people in some way on this album. A bunch of connections started forming and I reached out to friends and new acquaintances who play string instruments,” Amulet shares.
Collaborators on the album include Alice Does Computer Music, who freestyled cello over several of Amulet’s instrumental sketches – heard on “feel so crazy” and “dance forever.” Beloved Madison, WI-based violinist Julia McConahay contributed ambient, droning violin textures for “ssd,” while Archie Cowan added soulful saxophone lines on “dance forever.” God Boat’s Weston provided driving bass recordings featured on “angelology.” Finally, Amulet brought it all together with their beats and vocals, weaving the project into a cohesive whole.
From calling into radio stations as a kid to exploring repetition and themes in dance class, music has been a defining force throughout Amulet’s life. As a teen in La Crosse, WI, they began writing songs on guitar while listening to YouTube (Flying Lotus, Grimes, Otis Redding, Amy Winehouse, and Crystal Castles). Whenever possible, they’d drive to Minneapolis with friends to see EDM raves and acts like Infected Mushroom and Griz. At 17, a friend invited them to make beats and that was their first foray into producing in a DAW.
After high school, they got their first computer, experimented with GarageBand, and eventually moved to Ableton–beginning to produce their own songs. This soon led to Amulet’s debut album PARTY HOUSE SOLACE, a lush digital landscape of emotional listening.
Amulet has toured the west coast and east coast of the US with God Boat and played shows in Portland, New York, Chicago, LA, Minneapolis, Seattle. They also make paintings, edit videos and plan to explore filmmaking. Now, with the auspicious release of Tongue Out Selfie, they are securely positioned as one-to-watch in the experimental electronic space.
Tracklist
1. dm god
2. blue fire
3. ssd
4. hoes wallow
5. feel so crazy
6. dance forever
7. angelology
8. harley clean
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