#matt champion

[jimzittos]

⣷⠶⠚⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀we both like 　　　apple cider　　　 but your hair be smelling like 　　　fruit punch　　　 and i don't even like you that much 　　　wait, i do, fuck⠀🍏🌸⠀

[blackpinkofficialupdates]

[241120] jennierubyjane: had to jump on for a bit of slow motion 🧚‍♂️ thank you matt for lettin me be apart of it 🫶

[ax-ky]

[disbnad]

i'm shy for you still

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[filess]

[blackpinkig]

[241120] jennierubyjane: had to jump on for a bit of slow motion 🧚‍♂️ thank you matt for lettin me be apart of it 🫶

[mawedgone]

aphid

[nothing--good]

SATURATION III

[blackpinkofficialupdates]

[241118] Jennie TikTok update

Special moment with Matt Champion ✨🏕️

[hdsheadphones]

first discover weekly of 2025

it's the first monday of 2025! for most people, this sentence is not deserving of an exclamation point. for most people, today means back to work. back to school. away from home. but today is a very important day for avid discover weekly listeners like myself. one of my new years resolutions is one i make every year: to listen to every single discover weekly of the year and try to add at least 100 new songs to my library a week. i was nervous for this one. i had been neglecting my discover weekly for the last month amid all of the holiday craziness and my desire to listen to justin bieber's under the mistletoe album on repeat in order to feel any ounce of christmas spirit. but this first discover weekly of the year has been one of the best in a while. in order to keep myself accountable, i am going to make weekly posts about the songs in my discover weekly and talk about the ones i enjoyed, the albums and artists i will be checking out thanks to it. ok. the rest of these will hopefully not be as long as this one. let me just start talking about the music.

Drream by JGrrey ft. Zombie Juice

JGrrey has appeared on my discover weekly a few times before. i actually found my favorite song by her, Half Full, from my discover weekly back in 2019. when i saw this song and saw that Zombie Juice from Flatbush Zombies was featured, i got excited. his feature feels straight out of the 90s. the chill piano in the back and the saxophone hits the right spot in my brain. i also really love when songs have pauses throughout the song like this one does. her voice saying "do me a favor, pause it" just scratches an itch for me. this song is from her 2023 album If Not Now? and i already had another song from this project in my liked songs. i think i will definitely be sitting down with this album after this. i also learned that she opened for billie eilish on her european tour!

PULL UP by Internet Girl

i had never heard of Internet Girl before, but after reading that their spotify bio says "for fans of Jean Dawson + Paris Texas + Teezo Touchdown + EKKSTACY" it all made sense. ever since Teezo Touchdown coined the term "rock and boom" to describe his style of music as "rnb with the intensity of rock and the penmanship of hiphop" i have been obsessed. that is actually what led me to get more into some of these other listed artists like Jean Dawson and Paris Texas. i really enjoyed this song from Internet Girl for the same reasons i like these other artists. i have been really enjoying this kind of hardcore punk rap with crazy guitars and drums and synth. they are also a trio hailing from South Africa which is always cool to see. my only qualm is that this song is so short! but all the more reason to go listen to the rest of their discography.

SON OF THE MORNING by Jøjo

ok i literally thought this was Tyler, the Creator when it came on. even down to some of the lines and cadences he uses ("with my chest out, y'all chest in" a la MANIFESTO from CMIYGL). obviously, it sounds good. it does just feel like. a Tyler song. the Chase The Devil sample is awesome. or it might technically be sampling the sample of the sample from Jay-Z's Lucifer produced by Kanye West. this song is from Jøjo's debut album released last year called ROMANCE DAWN. the obvious influence from other artists makes me curious to see what the rest of the album is like. everyone has to get their inspiration from somewhere, and that is made evident in this song. and it's probably why it has 200,000+ more streams than any of his other songs. i will be listening to this album just to see what else Jøjo has to offer.

update, i played this song for my partner and they started investigating. even people on reddit don't really know what's going on with this guy.

Enjoy Yourself by berryblue

this song sits in that sweet spot between pop and hyperpop. excitable pop. it doesn't have the sped-up high-pitched vocals, but it still has the other fun sounds going on. i didn't really care too much about this song. it was fun and cute. when i saw that berryblue was featured on "The Sound of H&M" playlist, it made sense. that's what this kind of stuff was made for. it did help for a moment to fill the PinkPantheress sized hole in my heart.

Praying for You by Neema Nekesa

speaking of the PinkPantheress sized hole in my heart. this song by ethiopian artist Neema Nekesa comes in at one minute and 47 seconds. and when it comes on it takes over my whole brain. the constant drum beat in the background plus her deep, smooth voice. this song came out in may of last year, and she dropped a second single alongside it just last month. she does not have an album out right now, but it looks like she's gearing up for one. i did already listen to the second single Believe Me, also short, at one minute and 30 seconds, and it was just as good! i'm looking forward to keeping tabs on her.

Akira by MICHELLE

i liked this one! i have listened to MICHELLE a bit before and always enjoyed them. it sounds like a bunch of their other stuff that i like. i have never sat and listened through one of their projects. this song is from their 2024 album Songs About You Specifically, which the title alone is enough to intrigue me. this song also gave me a kinda Still Woozy vibe in the beginning that drew me in with the funky sounds!

SOFALOVE by Javi Vera

this one was funnnnn. i had never heard of Javi Vera, and when i went to his page to see what recommended artists i might know, the only one that showed up was Hotel Ugly. it's kind of electronic with some cool bass riffs in the back. the lyrics about thinking someone was the love of your life and wondering why now you're sleeping on the couch. i was really into this. this song was from his 2024 album Junior Varsity. my only qualm is that this song is so short! but it's fun enough to where i don't mind playing it on repeat.

In The City, Outta Town by Yeek

i was really excited to see yeek on my discover weekly. i was obsessed with his 2021 album Valencia, and his song I'm Trying featuring Dominic Fike was one of my favorite discover weekly discoveries from 2023. the slow tempo and his smooth voice. im into it. this is from his album he dropped last year that i didnt know about.

take time by Isaiah kaleo

this was one i didn't add to my library. at first. upon relistening to write about it, i had remembered liking the saxophone in the beginning. about halfway through it picks up this fun percussion beat and picks the tempo up a bit. i liked this, it was nice! i think i just didn't care much for the vocals at first, but the music saved it.

TOOYUNG by colin!

i really love the resurgence of the 90s style rap among young artists. colin! mixes rap and jazz so well. it was so fun and funky and loud. i liked this.

Whatever by Cadillac Dale

getting samples from popular songs is one of my favorite parts of discover weekly. this song was sampled in Jack Harlow's 2023 hit Lovin' On Me, a song i was embarrassingly obsessed with. it was cool to hear the original, and i will be adding it to my playlist of samples!

ice (feat. BAMBII) by Ragz Originale ft. BAMBII

why so many songs under 2 mins it's killing me! this song was good! i really love the choppy sound mixed with the synth. neo-rnb is one of my favorite genres. their voices make it so smooth but it's still so engaging! i just wish i could have been engaged for longer than 2 minutes!

Maybe It's You by Pump Action

this might be my favorite song from this discover weekly! fun little indie moment. i really love the part where they say "i'd say green ain't your color, it looks better on me". their spotify artist bio says "your new favorite band", and i'm excited to test that.

The Suburbs by Bickle

this was one of the only ones i didn't save to my library. i just didn't care much for the vocals or the lyrics, which is usually the main thing for me when listening to new music. i don't have much to say about this. there were some cool sounds in the back that i thought were fun, and towards the end of the song they had a cool Daft Punk-esque vocal filter on which is always good to hear. this is one of those songs that i do think i would like if i heard it when i was in a different mood.

Follow (Frank Ocean) by koda

okayyy yeah. it's a leak. unreleased music. whatever you want to call it to make yourself feel better about listening to this. listen, i am just like any other frank ocean fan: starving. and this song obviously sounded incredible. but i can't help but feel dirty when leaked songs are uploaded by random spotify profiles that are probably just doing so to promote their own music. this song specifically is from the fan made "Lonny Breaux Collection" which was just a bunch of unreleased demos thrown together and leaked online as an "album". i don't have much more to say about this one. other than i hope frank is doing okay.

Middle Name by ThaMonster

another song i didn't save. it was cool to hear, ThaMonster is a rapper from France, and this song is just him recounting his life story. it was cool to hear, and the smooth piano track in the back was sweet. just not for me!

Lejos de Ti by The Marias

obviously this song is beautiful. i just got over No One Noticed and now with this song on my discover weekly, i fear i cannot avoid listening to their new album any longer. i have heard so many good things about Submarine. to a point where i have almost been scared to listen to it.

Running Back Boy by WonderBag

i really liked this one!! an alternative indie joint with some fun guitar riffs. i liked the lyrics from this one a lot. "i said i like you when you leave me alone. don't take it wrong i'd rather be on my own."

Hit Me Where It Hurts by Caroline Polachek

this one stuck with me all day after hearing it on my drive to work. i have been meaning to have a sit down with this album ever since So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings took over my brain after hearing it for the first time back in 2022. i am now seeing that any song i hear from her has that effect on me. i also recall riley from HIVEMIND praising her 2023 album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, so she's been on my radar for a while. i'm excited to dive into her music some more.

Let's Go Back by Jungle

like most people, i had an intense Jungle phase last summer. with Back On 74 taking over the internet, i got reallyyy into their 2023 album Volcano. this song though. it just sounded exactly like Back On 74!! still sounded awesome, of course. that song rocked. it just felt like a scrapped song from their last album.

Good Guys by chlothegod

chlothegod i love you. everything i have heard from her, i have loved. her COLORS Studio performance of UGOMDN lives in my brain. i have listened to a few songs from this project, Nearly Straight. i think she is such a cool girl. she's not afraid to be loud and cool and funny. the first line being "not to be vicious but good guys are bitches" is enough to make me lock in and hear every single thing she has to say.

Zodiac Killer by Khalil?

i'm a sucker for any song that talks about zodiac signs honestly. i think it's so cheeky and silly. plus naming it zodiac killer is good. i liked this. the slowdown at the end wraps it up nicely. this one was fun.

Self by Cleo Sol

cleo sol is one of those artists that i think are really talented, but their music just. isn't for me. i did really enjoy a few songs from her 2020 album Rose in the Dark. i do love a "save me from myself" theme which is made evident in this song. it's just a little too slow for me and my brain.

Hooptie by Romeo + Juliet

oh my god i loved this album. i did listen to this album when it came out in 2022, but this song must have been one that slipped through the cracks and i never added to my library. all of Romeo + Juliet's music reminds me of the feeling of warm, humid summer nights with your lover. arguably one of the best feelings in the world. his voice is insane. i really love the speaking parts in the song, and other songs on the album, also. the crazy synth bells in the background. that's just their sound. and i eat it up. the other songs on this album are some of my favorites from the New Jersey artist including Gem and 500 Days of Summer. this song is awesome and it has definitely reignited my love for Romeo + Juliet. it also reminded me of their 2024 release Superbad that i had been telling myself to sit down and listen to. a lot on my to-do list.

Ash (feat. Deb Never) by Matt Champion ft. Deb Never

i love you matt champion. i loved his 2024 album Mika's Laundry. and this song reminded me of it. this song is a sad one, which i try to avoid, but Matt and Deb are just so good at making these painfully sad songs that aren't a wallowing around crying kind of sad, but a sudden realization after reflection kind of sad. the "why don't you ask me out anymore" is enough to make my heart sink into my asshole. this song perfectly encapsulates how it feels to watch someone fall out of love with you but wanting to keep it going strong. a feeling i am far too familiar with. this song will be going on my sad playlist.

giving by GIOVANNA ft. Austin Marc

this song has that fun "bubbly" sound effect that i loveee in songs. this song, like a bunch of the songs on this playlist, has that electronic/rnb fusion sound. it's also under two minutes, but it's okay because it's mostly her just repeating "giving you my love" which is fun in it's own way.

French Tips (feat. Coco Jones) by A$AP Ferg ft. Coco Jones

ok i think that A$AP Ferg just isn't for me! spotify wants me to listen to him sooo bad. the only song from him i have liked is Shabba ft. A$AP Rocky. this song was alright, and Coco Jones always delivers on her features. i really liked the cover art for this song though.

Sunset For The Dead by Tommy Newport

i didn't add this one to my library. again, didn't care much for the vocals on this one. that's not to say i don't like his voice. i really love his 2023 song Tangerine. this one just didn't do it for me.

SALAD by Oblé Reed ft. ARDN

i was surprised to realize i had multiple liked songs from both of these artists. i knew the names looked familiar. this song was good, i love a good collab where both artists just flow so good together. they go back and forth between singing and rapping in a perfect way. i wish they had the lyrics up on spotify, because some of these lines were making me giggle and i would love to read the rest of them. this is another prime example of that alternative rnb sound. there are even parts of this song that sound straight out of J. Cole's discography.

Sometimes by Cammo17th ft. Twelve'len

this was a nice song to close out my first discover weekly of the year. even the lyrics, telling me to sit back and get comfortable. made me excited for all of the other music i'm going to get to consume this year. i have liked songs from both Cammo17th and Twelve'len and was excited to hear them together. like i said about SALAD. i love a good collab. the way they sound together reminds me of the melodic chemistry that Saba and Smino have. this song is from Cammo17th's 2024 album Melodic Sounds from the Mound, which features Sick and Tired ft. WESTSIDE BOOGIE, a song that came out in 2022 that i loved. i will probably go listen to the whole album considering how much i liked both of these songs.

OKAY WOW! i can't believe i actually did it. hoping i can keep this motivation rolling and continue writing about the music i'm listening to. i promise i'll get better at this.

[lovejustforaday]

2024 Year End List - #14

Mika's Laundry - Matt Champion

Main Genres: Alt-Pop, Alternative R&B

A decent sampling of: Neo-Soul, Indie Pop, Alternative Rap, Art Pop, Indietronica

When Brockhampton announced their split up / indefinite hiatus / whatever you wanna call it in 2022, a lot of us fans went on speculating over who would be the first non-Kevin Abstract member to drop a solo LP, along with who would make the best one. Merlyn was technically not the first, given his last year's record was made in collaboration with ex-member Ameer Vann. And I'll be honest, I wasn't all that interested in hearing the end results of the group hype guy teaming up with the creep they kicked out to make a trap record.

Kevin Abstract had already dropped a couple of solo records as the band's star boy, and went ahead and dropped another one after the split. It was...okay I guess? Messy bedroom indie rock/pop that didn't leave much of an impression, though I suppose it was competent enough.

But with only the aforementioned two projects from BH alumni released in 2023, I was feeling a little disheartened with what to expect from the artists that I had really come to admire over the last few years.

Fortunately, Matt Champion, Dom McLennon, and Joba all graced us this year with three very different solo LPs. Dom was the only one that stuck with rapping over hip hop beats. By contrast, Joba did a leftfield turn and started making piano ballads. Meanwhile, Bearface is pretty much nowhere to be seen.

And then there's Matt.

Originally, I was most excited for a Dom solo record. After all, he is the most technically gifted rapper-poet in the group, and the one with the most socially conscious bars. But then I guess it makes sense that Matt would be the most competent solo artist.

Matt does not have the full throttle emotional delivery and impact of Joba, nor the razor-sharp wit and technical flows of a rapper like Dom. But he has a lot of versatility.

He can rap many different flows with his easy-going swagger and occasionally delivers something much heavier like on "BUMP" and "JUNKY". He's also proven to be a fairly smooth and comfortable R&B singer on tracks like "RENTAL". He also possesses a lot of the natural personality and charisma that Kevin has in spades but with *cough* a fraction of the ego *cough*.

And something Matt seems to have demonstrated more than any other vocalist member of BH is patience, discipline, and focus. He was the leading force behind getting TM done so that the band could finish their record deal, and he made good on delivering on his promises and having a proper album rollout.

So it's no surprise then that Mika's Laundry is definitely the best post-Brockhampton project to date. Matt Champion has honed his skills as a versatile performer into a project that is creative, intimate, vivid, and varied. Elements of soul with a small-venue, DIY feel and less conventional indietronica production get blended with a chill alt-pop/alternative R&B mix into something very stylized and confident.

There's also the occasional hip hop track thrown in ("GBIV" for example) that reminds you how Matt got his start as a rapper, plus a couple of songs with guitars and a whole indie pop rock sound aesthetic. Plus lots of gorgeous melancholy vocal harmonies à la Frank Ocean. Really, there's something here for just about everybody who likes alternative pop music.

I also wanna mention that Matt promoted Mika's Laundry with a series of surreal, grotesquely beautiful forest-biology-themed music videos, photo shoots, and song titles like "Aphid" and "Slug". There's even visible dirt on the album cover, which he was also covered with in the "Aphid" music video. But the visual promotional material also contrasts these nature elements by featuring very artificial images like sterile LED whites, and plastic bags and films.

I really like the way he chose to visaully represent the record; it gives more context to the album's earthy, organic, and intimate melodies and atmosphere, combined with the more melancholy lyrics and the futuristic, sometimes highly alien electronic production and vocal filters. There seems to be an overarching theme of alienation and the disconnect between humans and their environment, combined with lyrics that read more like unspoken thoughts and insecurities regarding Matt's relationship to his friends and lovers.

The lead single "Aphid" was co-produced and co-written by alternative R&B musician Dijon, and I am told that it is plastered with his signature sound (never heard a Dijon record, so YMMV). The production is squelchy, disorderly, while the lyrics are a sentimental plea for low expectations. A very strange song that admittedly had to grow on me, but now it's one of my favourite cuts from the record

"Steel" has almost a Sweet Trip vibe to it. Manic and bright indietronica synths are paired with a propulsive, funky beat and a duet with guest vocalist Dora Jar. This is one of his biggest departures from the established sound of his early solo career and time in Brockhampton, and it's all the better for it IMO. His tiny little "I need just a minute" is among my favourite vocal lines of the year.

"Purify" is languid and depressive, but still somehow feel-good courtesy of those gorgeous "YouuUuuUUUuuu" harmonies in the chorus. I also like how the guitar and synth just kinda stumble through the door at the beginning, like Matt's already showing up to the bar half-drunk, fully sad, and ready to lay his head down to sleep on the counter by the bar stools.

And then there's "Slug" which is the biggest highlight here, and probably one of the highest peaks of Matt's entire career. This boogie/soul/alt-r&b crossover track. I love the sparkly synth melody during the chorus. I absolutely adore the little bursts of "WHYYYYY?" during the chorus with the unabashadly silly, wailing falsetto characteristic of 70s funk and soul boy groups. And I appreciate the off-kilter accented details in the verses like that solitary, de-tuned electric guitar chord and the those cowbell taps outta nowhere. The whole thing is really tipsy and weird, and frankly quite gorgeous.

With all that praise, I gotta admit that "GBIV" feels totally out of place, like he's trying to do a "ST. PERCY" or "bankroll" for the BH fans, but it's totally discordant with pretty much everything else, and I'm not huge on this track in isolation anyway apart from that mysterious piano/harp outro. I also kinda wish it ended on something bigger than "Meetin' You" since the record feels like it's building towards something big, but alas I digress.

If you're a long time Brockhampton fan who hasn't listened to this yet, then I can tell you now that you'll probably get the most out of it if you are someone who appreciated Ginger as much as I did. Don't go into this expecting a Saturation or Iridescence-like project. This is a moody and subtle project; not a collection of bangers.

But hey, this is just the beginning for Matt Champion's post-Brockhampton solo career, and it's already one of the better pop debuts of the current decade.

Matt has arguably undergone some of the biggest growth of any of the members of his old band, and now is the time for his artistry to bloom. Or at least, emerge all slimey from his chrysalis, given the whole bizarre forest bug imagery, but you catch my drift. Check this one out.

8/10

Highlights: "Slug", "Steel", "Aphid", "Purify", "Aren't You Excited?"

FOR FANS OF: Pixel Bath by Jean Dawson Blonde by Frank Ocean Pang by Caroline Polachek Good At Falling by The Japanese House

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