#Niontay

[ambitious-az-a-outlaw]

[therappundit]

I really believe that years down the line, music lit experts will look back and consider MIKE to be one of the most important artists of this era.

Showbiz! dropping at month's end. I assure you it will be must-cop material.

[bahatitx]

[testphasedemo]

Niontay - Ain't Shit

[cbcruk]

Niontay - Real hiphop (feat. Earl Sweatshirt, El Cousteau, & MIKE)

[carlossemedo]

Niontay

[goodbysunball]

You can really feel like you're here

As usual, it's been a minute, but still handling and playing large plastic discs on the regular. A nice variety for June, whether you want to scream at the void or bask in repetition or curl up and smoke ciggies. A short list of off-the-cuff 2024 favorites is at the bottom, too, for the short attention spans.

Arianne Churchman & Benedict Drew, MAY 2xLP (Love's Devotee)

A tip of the hat to Matt K.'s ever-reliable Yellow Green Red for hipping me to this record, something that on paper I would generally pass up but plays out like an invigorating fever dream across four sides of wax. Stealing from the label's writeup: "MAY employs at its base a flank of analog synthesizers, field recordings and Churchman’s layered vocals, each combining to form a beautifully dizzy sonic collage that often spirals out across long durations into hypnotic rhythms and jubilant melodies." The magic is in how the duo manages to effectively take the same trick, going from folk song to swelling grandeur, on nearly every track while still retaining the same sense of wonder. Though, for me, it was the marathon opener, "The Cuckoo," that really did the trick for me the first listen. In a sense, "The Cuckoo" is the line in the sand, as the way it unfolds is much darker and dissonant than anything else on the record, and the dissonance hangs around for a healthy chunk of time. After that, the record basks in the sun, meadows and valleys, Churchman's vocals ceding to the environment of buzzing and gently swaying synthesizer. Something like "Down by the Green Groves" sounds like a Broadcast record or tape left in the sun for weeks, then played at half-speed as it disintegrates. "Day Song" sounds like a properly warped rendition of something off The Wicker Man soundtrack, a fiddle or banjo plucking a melody over plodding drums and sighing, sawing synthesizers. Only "Searching For May" returns slightly to the dissonance found on "The Cuckoo," the titular search turning into slightly desperate yearning, but on the whole MAY is shot through with an appropriate amount of sun-baked awe for the natural world. Experiencing the record on headphones while walking along a beach felt deeply spiritual, as cheesy as that may sound; but the sounds contained here seem designed to be played or experienced in open spaces, to commingle with their inspiration. Outta nowhere gem, and limited to only 350 copies, surely not long for this world once word leaks out.

Matt Krefting, Finer Points (Open Mouth)

The latest from tape manipulator/sound sculptor/Idea Fire Co.-man Matt Krefting, quietly released back in January on Bill Nace's Open Mouth label. This is the first solo outing I've heard from him since the Lymph Est LP on Kye, and it's a stunner, albeit one that skews somber and unadorned. Matt works in a sound world that's been done to death in the last decade or so: tape loops, brittle scrapes and plucks, lonesome mechanical hums, and some keys/synth sprinkled in ("An Eye on the Future," heartbreaking) to soften the landing. In the hands of most, that's a combo you can safely miss, but Krefting has the skill and restraint to make the sounds inviting, enveloping and captivating the listener. The bassy plucking on "A Double Request" feels of a piece with Robert Turman's Flux, but the sounds double back on themselves, twisting the strings into a net to capture your body while your mind wanders. The same goes for "Both This Life and the Next," which even includes the mbira heard across Flux, but there Krefting lets the tape distortion seep in and eventually consume the slow progression of notes. When he wades into field recordings or drone, the sounds feel removed from the action, sometimes foggy ("Let's Look Again") and sometimes deliberately encased in glass, perhaps a not-so-uplifting commentary on screens and devices displacing human-to-human contact. In that sense, the record feels more empathetic than most in the genre, choosing to engage with the darker, depressive emotions rather than cloak them in distortion and remove all human trace. As far as contemporary reference points go, Finer Points reminds me of Incipientium, but less cold and bleak and more tender, as if handling century-old artifacts and recognizing a common humanity. The feather-light synth on "Just to Have Him Around" closes the record, the sun easing up in the sky after a particularly stormy night, a splash of faint yellow to the decidedly fuzzy gray that colors most of Finer Points. Great reading soundtrack, and for those willing to go deeper, a rich, sensuous landscape that comes out just fine on the other side. Sold out from the label, but Forced Exposure somehow still has a few of the original 200 copies.

Thou, Umbilical LP + 7" (Sacred Bones)

Much respect for the grind of Thou, a band that's somehow both risen from and stayed true to DIY ethics, draped in scathing philosophizing and often wretchedly heavy music. (The Sisters in Christ record store rules, too.) For various reasons, I haven't followed the band closely in the past decade, but the outta nowhere collaboration with Mizmor, Myopia, bested both groups' recent works in my estimation, a sound that married Thou's heaving sludge with Mizmor's black metal, each pushing the other to more violent extremes. The press release teased that Umbilical was Thou's hardcore record, and while I guess that's relatively true due to the shorter song lengths and, on some tracks, a discernible verse-chorus structure ("The Promise"), the LP plays out like a singles compilation. It’s as if Thou returned to the days where they released a split with anyone every other month. If you, like me, are a fan of Thou songs like "Smoke Pigs" and "Don't Vote," you'll find a lot to like on Umbilical, easily the band's best record since Summit. The idea behind the record is vocalist Bryan Funck criticizing himself and Thou in the guise of a much younger, more militantly DIY or anarchistic version of himself. The lyrics are vicious, and the music shows up prepared for the evisceration: "I Return as Chained and Bound to You" ranks as one of Thou's heaviest, recalling the Their Hooves Carve Craters in the Earth 10", and "Lonely Vigil" drags the listener through quicksand with its crawling, crushing riffs. "House of Ideas" meanders at the end for a little too long, but this is a lean, tight record, worthy of all wild and tired descriptors that basically say "heavy" over and over. The physical package includes a 7" with two more tracks, both leaning more toward crowded punk tempos, riffs buried in the maelstrom of Funck's shredded vocals. That the two tracks were placed on to a 7" makes them feel more like afterthoughts, which they're not, but when the eight-song LP is properly satisfying, it probably means it's not a 7" I'll be revisiting often (even if the end of "Unbidden Guest" rules). Umbilical is a spoil of riches in that sense, an appropriately crushing soundtrack to vitriolic self-flagellation that reinvigorates an old sound with new twists.

Verity Den, s/t LP (Amish Records)

It took me a long while to check out Verity Den's LP, something I quickly bookmarked months back, but it's been played to death the last few weeks in my hut. The trio from Carrboro, NC use loud, gauzy guitars like their shoegaze forebears, and their songs patiently unfurl like the smoke from a snuffed candle. From the opening chords ringing out on "Washer/Dryer," it's clear this band isn't the ten-thousandth rehash of Loveless but something much more strange; Casey Proctor's vocals flutter on the surface like Meg Baird's in Heron Oblivion, and the lyrics unexpectedly leave a dark, wet trail, knocking the listener off-kilter. A track like the gorgeous "Prudence," featuring some beautifully hesitant and restrained guitar work, somehow has with the opening lines "Broke-ass ho/where'd he go?/Owes me dough," while other song titles like "Crush Meds" and "Everyone Thought You Were Dead" point to a much bleaker launching point for these songs than the end result does. An exception might be "Other People," which glides along on a motorik beat, the subtle chord change at the chorus causing chills both times it hits. The LP is a collection of separately released tracks or releases, but only the relatively conventionally structured "Priest Boss" feels slightly out of place, though it's clear the song is woven into the fabric of the record when the title's repeated in the lyrics of "Other People" later on. Verity Den plays out like settling in to the pleasant buzz of a second beer, but doesn't dissuade stormier currents from running through your brain. Extremely strong and affecting debut; fans of True Widow, Mount Trout or the aforementioned Heron Oblivion would do well to check in with Verity Den posthaste.

Water Damage, In E 2xLP (12XU)

Water Damage quickly follow up last year's incredible 2 Songs with In E, a new double-LP of their raison d'être: heaving, droning repetition delivered at maximum volume. Might be the inclusion of a violin this time around, but In E feels lot more classical than the band's previous work, slowly shifting away from "rock" and evolving into a proper ensemble, albeit one with a heavy reliance on feedback. There's one song per side here, the last being a perfectly fine cover of "Ladybird" by Shit & Shine, but one that adds little to the ground covered by the first three tracks. Grayson Haver Currin accurately labeled the record "a rare mind eraser for our increasingly plugged-in times," and that's really the calling card for the band's discography. "Reel E" kicks off the record, the ensemble swelling over the same drumbeat for the duration. Feedback, guitar and violin saw away at the ever-expanding mass, sometimes combining to sound like the wheels of a train scraping against its metal track. It's my favorite thing the band's done so far, powerful and invigorating minimalism pushed to the red, capable of blotting out everything wrong in your sphere for 20 minutes. Things slow a little on "Reel EE," the drums left alone for the first few minutes, until everyone else kicks in to create an ecstatic drone that seems to continue rising upward forever. "Reel EEE" feels the most wide-open, taking five minutes for the drums to lock in, featuring stabs of guitar cut short in deference to the shrill flute/violin combo. The band shows an uncommon restraint on "EEE," but after "Reel E," it feels like Water Damage peeling back the layers lessens the smothering, mind-altering effect of their best tracks. A group like Incapacitants can blast away the listener on every track and I still own multiple records by 'em; seems like Water Damage could do the same if they wanted. Still, there's no arguing that In E is a powerful statement, the whole record buzzing, simmering and occasionally screaming with the ecstasy of repetition, something that a lucky few get to experience this summer and fall as the group plays a few dates outside of Texas. If the heat doesn't make you have visions, I've little doubt that Water Damage and In E will do the trick.

Favorites of 2024 so far:

42 Dugg, "Wock N Red"

Bobby Would, Relics of Our Life LP (Digital Regress)

Thomas Bush, The Next 60 Years (Jolly Discs)

Chief Keef & Mike WiLL Made-It, Dirty Nachos (43B/Eardrummer/RBC)

Arianne Churchman & Benedict Drew, MAY 2xLP (Love's Devotee)

Contaminated, Celebratory Beheading LP (Blood Harvest)

Klonns, Heaven LP (Iron Lung)

Matt Krefting, Finer Points LP (Open Mouth)

Light Metal Age, s/t CS (self-released)

Jim Marlowe, Mirror Green Rotor In Profile CS (Medium Sound)

Phill Niblock, Looking For Daniel CD (Unsounds)

Pain Appendix, Manuhypnoz CD (Freak Animal)

REALYUNGPHIL, Niontay & Surf Gang, "Halftones/Amnesia"

Verity Den, s/t (Amish)

YKSI, Ultrasensory Exploration CD (Freak Animal)

[soapdispensersalesman]

This album is something and a half

[asuederake]

[thelensofyashunews]

NIONTAY ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM FADA<3OF$ OUT APRIL 25TH

Brooklyn-via-Florida rapper Niontay has just announced his highly anticipated album, Fada<3of$ — releasing April 25th via 10K Global, the independent Brooklyn-based label and artist collective. Alongside the announcement, he also revealed the lead single "mumbleman" and an accompanying music video directed by Nicholas Stafford-Briggs, whose extensive credits include “Real hiphop” by Niontay, Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, El Cousteau, "Words2LiveBy" by El Cousteau and Earl Sweatshirt, and "Man in the Mirror" by MIKE. Niontay is gearing up for a ten-date tour supporting the U.S. leg of MIKE's Artists Of The Century Tour beginning April 16 in Philadelphia, see below for the full routing and tickets.

Handling most of the album's production himself, Niontay kept his circle small and worked exclusively with his longtime creative confidants for this project. "The initial name for the tape was '2009' (shoutout my bradda Pretty V) that being the year my Ole boy passed, it completely changed my life," he explains. "Same way I feel this album will, in a much more positive light. Death sucks but we gotta learn to celebrate it and send our loved ones off properly with love. That’s all I’m doing with this music, still tryna have fun and carry my Ole boy's name and legacy on to the furthest extent despite the 'reality' of the situation." Fada<3of$ features guest verses from MAVI, ElCousteau, Sideshow, and Jadasea as well as guest production from TonySeltzer, djblackpower, and Harrison from SURFGANG.

Niontay has earned a bulletproof rep among heads in the know as a generational prospect and innovative wizard of regional rap sounds. Known for his collaborations with MIKE, Earl Sweatshirt, and MAVI, he displays a penchant for unusual flows and an uncanny ability to synchronize with the disparate styles found across the contemporary hip hop landscape. Fada<3of$ serves as the follow up to his critically acclaimed 2023 debut project Dontay’s Inferno, which features guest verses from MIKE, DORIS, and Na-Kel Smith and was largely self-produced with additional beats from 454, DJ Blackpower, and RedLee. Later that year, Niontay shared the Demon Muppy EP featuring "Real hiphop" with Earl Sweatshirt, El Cousteau, and MIKE, a gritty cypher-style track that highlighted their effortless chemistry. With a growing discography and a unique sound that reinvents regional influences into something entirely his own, Niontay is positioning himself as one of the most exciting voices in underground rap. 

[funkinblues]

2023

Niontay, earl sweatshirt, mike, el Cousteau

[therappundit]

“For you, I recommend…” - *YES, MORE* of The Rap Pundit’s Picks For 2023: Part 5

ICYMI, PART 1-4: https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/730945022595416064/icymi-part-1-3#notes

Keep it movin' keep it movin' (can't stop won't stop eh-eh):

"FLOATER" - ctyzn feat. AKAI SOLO

"Loopholes" - Ty Thom & Whoa1.0 feat. Westside Boogie

"B.Q.E." - Lungs, Phiik & Noface

"fruitsofyourlabor" - OG & buddy.not.bud

"Mussel Beach" - MIKE feat. El Cousteau & Niontay

"The Revenge of Flip's Leg" - Westside Gunn feat. Rome Streetz

"BUCTOWN" - Estee Nack/Mr. Rose & Starker

"Wind Parade" - Napolean Da Legend & J Scienide

"Off the Corner" - Tree Mason & Bloo Azul & Spanish Ran

"Reform" - yU a.k.a. yUthe78er feat. ERK, Blackberry Jones, New Jeruse, Solid Space & Octavio N. Santos

"Living Curfew" - Aesop Rock feat. billy woods

"BOOK OF WALTER" - PUBLICHOUSINGNYC feat. BA PACE

"Serious" - ZelooperZ & Quadie Diesel

"RL" - Wiki & Tony Selter feat. WiFiGawd

"Keep It In The Family" - G.T. feat. Samuel Shabazz

"Yonce Freestyle" - Kevin Gates feat. Sexyy Red & BG

"Smurk Carter" - Lil Durk

"BASED GOD FLOW" - VIP Skylark feat. Montana Rugga Mackavelli

"Grounded" - twogeebs

"Looseleaf" - Lil Tony Official

[underground-archives]

Niontay via Soundcloud

Artist Spotlight: Niontay

Niontay (also known by the alias Sexafterchurch) is a Brooklyn-based rapper and producer from Florida who started making waves in 2021 with his EP “Blood Diamond,” prod. SUIQE. Since then, he has increasingly become a figure of interest in the alternative rap game, especially due to his 2023 album Dontay’s Inferno, which featured cult classic hits such as “THANK ALLAH” and “WHEREDEYAT?” ft. MIKE.

Niontay’s music is incredibly soul-driven, and seems to constantly draw from Southern Black American roots (particularly the sounds of the church) - sonically and thematically - but he is known to experiment with all types of sounds. His music can be fun, but at it's core, it feels highly spiritual and emotional, with many references to God and church, addiction and depression, as well as reverence for his grandmother ("grandma, I'm gon' get it right"). His rap style is witty and refreshing, and he is known to lean into storytelling, a once-definitive element of hip-hop that is not as commonplace in the genre today. 

Much of Niontay’s work is self-produced (as Sexafterchurch), and his production has a distinct appeal. “Da City of a Hunnid Plays” is a track that really highlights this ability, utilizing soulful samples and a melodic, yet heavy-hitting, kick driven groove. He also experiments with a variety of sounds in his production that can be traced back to specific, often regional, influences, such as Jerk music breakdowns in "Vice City," or the DMV trap style of his song "100 Cylinders" with Northeast DC's very own El Cousteau.

Niontay’s music is lyrically intelligent, witty, and reflective; and sonically, multifaceted and intriguing. With two full length projects under his belt, he has certainly begun to make a name for himself, but it somehow feels like Niontay is just getting started.

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