Popstar Benny’s method to manufacturing took root in grade college, when a CD copy of Gorillaz’s Demon Days revealed the ability of cross-genre collaboration. “They obtained each single model,” the Atlanta beatmaker advised an interviewer in 2023. “It was loopy to me that it was one man doing the whole lot.” Benny’s personal hyper-stimulating instrumentals—reflecting his love for Pokémon OSTs, late-aughts indie rock, and first-wave lure music—have made him a key determine in Atlanta’s post-plugg underground. However it’s on his full-length producer albums that he goes full Damon Albarn. Extra than simply various-artists compilations, 2023’s College! and its predecessor, Album*, felt like operating a Madden franchise on fantasy draft mode, arranging unusual lineups of options only for the fun of listening to MIKE bob and weave by means of a traditional Playboi Carti sort beat or getting Duwap Kaine and Bear1boss to go freestyle for freestyle.
Benny’s newest assortment, Oasis, is uncharacteristically targeted, that includes an all-women roster of rappers and vocalists from the Atlanta scene. At just below 20 minutes, it’s one of many leaner entries in his discography, chaining collectively fragments of psychedelic pop ephemera in shut succession. The duvet artwork, a brooding, alien panorama vandalized by a Lisa Frank sticker set, precisely displays the performances Benny coaxes from his visitors, juxtaposing their bratty taunts with nuclear bass thumps and spooky melodies. In Sanrio phrases, it’s extra Kuromi than My Melody: sinister, however endearingly so. On “Hate Me,” Coco & Clair Clair effortlessly embody this angle, indexing all the explanations haters would possibly envy them, like sparking a label bidding conflict or showing of their boyfriends’ Spotify historical past. Their deadpan jabs make an interesting distinction with the luxurious digital strings and zig-zagging sine waves of Benny’s pluggnb orchestration.
These unusual, sometimes dissonant amalgamations of emotion are a selected power of Popstar Benny and co. “Charlie’s Angels” is a boilerplate celebration rocker on the floor, constructed round Avi Kaior’s nonchalant flexes and Casamigos-fueled invites to the dancefloor. Benny’s New Jazz-inspired synth leads, although, are primed to induce delirium; the music is equal elements ecstasy and panic, like watching the ceiling spin. “Develop Up,” then again, performs issues a bit too protected, weaving ethereal jazz chords right into a skeletal Jersey membership beat. It’s nice however feels slight in comparison with the distinct punch of equally structured songs by Kyle Ricch or Ice Spice. Opener “2020” matches a whispy vocal chop with a equally ethereal Vayda verse, making a washed-out impact that’s smothered by a booming 808 kick. Quotables like “They mad that I’m smiling… Don’t wanna see Vay on an advert for Crest” deserve extra room to breathe.
