quinn
As a creator continually overlooked by an industry ruled by the big-voice, in-your-face, instantly gratifying, she stands out as a rare exception – with the dense, dark, and mysterious music she creates feeling all the more special and worthy of attention. Musically, cult is a total departure from her previous work, don’t let the seven-minute track lengths deter you: it is an amalgam of tracks brimming with absolution, soul, and introspection. It feels as if a true work was made, as every step here appears to be made with confidence and conviction. Within the album’s 42 minutes, quinn explores new sonic landscapes with this mostly abstract hip-hop/RnB/sound-collage record, it’s like she’s been tired of poking fun at mumble rap. This new voice that emerges within the music feels organic to quinn – the warmth, depth and immediacy recreated akin to when she picked up the guitar or casually plugged into an audio interface. She adopts a more sincere, serious persona, free of any humour and jokes, transitioning naturally to going more inward. Who hasn’t listened to an Earl album and wanted to channel his sound into their own music? Who hasn’t attempted to sing and rap like Madlib over Quasimoto-type vocals? Who hasn’t sat upon a couch, alone in a room and made beat after beat – knxwledge style. There are many footprints here from other artists, from the beat structure, delivery and vocal effects, but the artists quinn’s emulating never jump out, so the music never feels like a pastiche. She weaves this essence into the tapestry of songs, making it all sound somewhat unapproachable, unmappable – until you explore it closely enough to realise it’s the sound of quinn’s own mind, her endless body of work, the entirety of her being. I have a sense of how it all connects now, but discerning what links everything together is like trying to find food amidst heaps of trash. No matter what you do, you miss out on something, and that can’t be good. Some might find fault with the sequencing of the album, particularly the inclusion of clips of talking and vocals that just drop in randomly, which can feel a little discordant. But it is this rawness, this lack of restraint that explains so much about quinn and this album. I love the fact that the album sounds like a sketchbook. I love the fact that she doesn’t try to artifact anything. I love the fact I can feel her state of mind as she makes the music. I love that she calls everything ‘crap’ when she publishes it. I love that all of this will change. I am excited to hear what she does next.
QUINN - quinn
RATING - 8.2/10
FAVORITE TRACKS - two door tiffany, food 4 thot
GENRE - Experimental, Hip-Hop, Rnb, Alt, Indie