cae digs deep and gets experimental with the alt girl encounters LP
If you are not yet too familiar with the soundscapes of cae, then I have just the way to introduce you. The most recent album, alt girl encounters, builds out a structurally diverse atmosphere that breeds a sonic division and encompasses a string of approaches that come together in a seamless fashion, creating an aesthetic that you end up getting swallowed up by.
You see, this album is not just your standard hip-hop or R&B record; instead, it is electronically forward, pushing out experimentation and sound sculpting almost all the time by way of building synthesizers and atmospheres, pads and additional instrumentation, creating these lush and very flowing, filmic, and impactful layers of texture.
Throughout all of this, you have an abundance of honesty and get a good grasp of the artist's character displayed across the record as well.
"b4u" kicks things off with some of that character almost straight away. He goes pretty deep into his persona, relationships, and doesn't really hold back in terms of expressing certain kinds of emotions that go along with those sentiments.
What really sets this record apart is the attention to detail. cae really thinks things through but also has a sort of freeing spirit, in-the-moment vibe as well.
These songs are slightly open-ended at times. For example, this initial first song does introduce you to some of the experiences that you'll have throughout the full LP, but you still will come to some surprising turns as you listen through everything.
This one showcases how he's able to create that very full-bodied sort of atmosphere, but also dig into the hip-hop aspect of things and blend those flavors together.
"usexual" gives you a more in-depth palette with additional experimentation, a bit of a wild or slightly rambunctious sound coming from the synthesizers, as he runs them through effects to give them different tones and slightly aggressive underbellies.
Still, even with songs like this, you're getting so much honesty that you're able to sort of soak in that personality a lot.
"y cant u" has a bit of a haunting feel with this almost music box sound coming from it, also run through some effects to sound even easier than normal, and it really works because the whole thing sounds almost like a voicemail that's trying to come through.
His voice is almost decimated, like he's performing too close to the microphone, and it's peeking out. He does this on purpose. The emotional aspect of the song. This is a brilliant move simply because you end up connecting with it on a deeper level because he put that effect on the song.
Like I said before, he pays a lot of attention to everything, and that includes the way he's performing vocally. This song has a softer, more delicate feel because of the emotion behind it.
The record does come through as being pretty vulnerable a lot of the time, but I feel like that makes for great music in general. I feel like that's why people can connect with records like this one.
It's unafraid. It's built with this sense of fearlessness so that he's able to be free to speak his mind totally and completely, and all the same time, create these songs that expand outwards and sink into your subconscious.
This is definitely one of the more personal and experimental records I've heard in quite some time, and it was most enjoyable. It comes across as totally refreshing but also 100% authentic.
I think that's why it's got the impact it does. You know that these songs came from real places and that the artist probably had a lot of fun creating them.
And this is an important aspect as well. The way that the record is made gives you the feeling that he's in his zone when he's alone, in the studio, creating, writing, recording.
He's in his own personal bubble, and because of that, you have a record that has no walls.
The blend of experimental electronic undertones with hip-hop, R&B, indie—there are even acoustic guitar songs on this.
The connective element is that it's all genuine. It all comes from real places.
You should really check this out in full. Listening to the entire record is the only way to go because then you can get a feel for all the different approaches that the artist puts out there and how they connect with each other.
In a strange sense, this is almost like a concept record. It's like a diary coming straight from the artist.
He's sort of inviting you into his world, and with that, you have songs that deliver the moods to go along with the lyrics.
Check this one out right now and don't skip around. Listen to the whole record.
Remember where you heard it all first.
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