– THE MILITARY COUP –

Moses Sumney has always occupied a precarious centre-ground between the traditional definitions of feminine and masculine.

His effete, introspective persona seems a gently perfect accompaniment to falsetto-inclined tones and yet somewhat at odds with his notably muscular physique and ‘aromantic’ lyrics.

Interesting, then, that the American singer-songwriter appears to be acknowledging this non-binary ambiguity in the title of his latest release græ.

As the first single’s name would imply, Virile initially feels more macho and more brutal than anything Sumney has done to date. There’s practically a Trent Reznor horror movie score underpinning the majority of it (amply visualised by the meat locker backdrop to the track’s official video).

All metallic edges and industrial drums, it’s a potent and – to many fans, I’m sure, potentially unsettling – introduction tothe forth-coming full-length. That is, untilSumney’s ‘la reveal magnifico’ appears, signalled by the chorus’ harps and lyrics about “amp[ing] up the masculine” in order to “fit right in” before the singer informs us that ‘you’ve got the wrong guy’ and that ‘we pick our own prisons’.

What we’re left with is another utterly awesome social commentary on the nature of gender from Sumney and it helps that it sounds fucking awesome too.

The first part of græ will be out digitally in February, with the second part coming in May. The full thing will be available physically when Sumney releases the second instalment.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

ABEKEJSER: FLOATING THROUGH THE UNIVERSE
PLATIMO: HOPE VALLEY
CORTO.ALTO: BETTER
FKA TWIGS: HOLY TERRAIN

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –