hazel's #albumoftheday #4

black dresses - love and affection for stupid little bitches

this album is, in my opinion, black dresses at their most emotionally vulnerable, save for maybe laughingfish. the tracklist includes some of the most aggressive and noisy moments in their whole discography, juxtaposed with lo-fi pop anthems and some incredibly touching and vulnerable moments, both sonically and lyrically. it feels like devi and ada working at their most synergistic, as a band, a collective rather than individuals. the lyrics deal extensively with both fear and love, giving the album a bittersweet feeling. the synths on the album are beautiful, and the vocals include some of both devi's and ada's best performances - the use of autotune especially is really unique and innovative on this album, and it feels like a masterclass in pop songwriting, an aggressive industrial album, and a touching confession of love all in one.

'dead girls dry each other's eyes, and pretend for a while that we're still alive'

hazel's #albumoftheday #3

drain gang - trash island

trash island is probably my favourite album from any of the drain gang members, and it's easy to see why. recorded on a group trip to thailand, the album's collaborative nature gives it a unique feel in terms of the dg catalogue, and you can tell just from listening how strong the bond is between the boys - in short, it feels like a group of friends who genuinely love music and each other came together and genuinely enjoyed every second of creating the album. sonically, ecco2k's voice is a huge part of the album, with his higher, breathy, androgynous vocal style seen so much on e also being used here extensively. bladee and thaiboy's vocals also shine here, with some of their best verses being on this project. In terms of production, whitearmor absolutely killed it, combining his usual ethereal cloud rap with a more pop-oriented style which fits amazingly with drain gang's sound.

'ever since i came into your life, i've been losing mine'

hazel's #albumoftheday #2

grimes - visions

this project has been special to me since i was very young - my dad was a big fan of grimes' early work, and this album has been part of the soundtrack to essentially my entire life. it invokes a very specific feeling for me - one of late-night drives, of walking down a dark manchester alleyway in the rain, of smoking cigarettes out of the window of my childhood bedroom, looking at my hometown below me. sonically, the album is beautiful - throughout every track, claire's haunting, ethereal vocals dance above dark, hollow synths, echoing and distorting and repeating over and over, giving the whole listening experience a psychedelic quality. while making this album, claire locked herself in her room for 2 weeks straight, doing everything she could to essentially 'go insane', and the album's lyrics reflect this, with short phrases being repeated over and over, contrasting with longer verses with surprisingly dark subject matter.

'see you on a dark night'

hazel's #albumoftheday #1

girls rituals - emergency!

relistening to this project a lot recently and i think it really captures the day-to-day monotony of living as a weird, asocial trans girl. the whole album feels very subdued, with devi's vocals being much softer than on many of her other projects, and lethargic synths playing melodies that feel just-so-slightly off, adding to the album's diy aesthetic - an aspect which gives the listener a sense of closeness to devi, along with her vulnerable lyricism, making for an intensely personal listen. overall, the album feels simultaneously like paranoia and safety; it sounds like being alone in your room, terrified of leaving and facing wider society, and finding small comforts in scrolling on the internet, smoking weed, and doing everything to avoid the inevitability of social interaction.

'I don't know what to do but get high every day/Alone in the dark/Hide out and blazed'