Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this best new music segment.
On this week’s list, we have Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s ‘Death Wish’, the sweepingly poignant first single from their next LP Weathervanes; ‘Bath Country’, another fractured, electrifying single from Wednesday’s upcoming album; ‘To Remain/To Return’, the mesmerizing lead single from Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily’s upcoming collaborative album; Susanne Sundfør’s ‘alyosha’, an ethereal, heart-rending ballad previewing her new record; Shana Cleveland’s latest single, the hauntingly beautiful ‘Walking Through Morning Dew’; ‘What You Did’, a sharp, captivating indie pop tune from Hannah Jadagu; Militarie Gun’s punchy, infectious new track ‘Do It Faster’; ‘Adderall’, a pensive yet dynamic standout from Shame’s Food for Worms; and ‘Tormenta’, a satisfying, reggaeton-style highlight from Gorillaz’s Cracker Island featuring Bad Bunny.
Best New Songs: February 27, 2023
Song of the Week: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, ‘Death Wish’
Gorillaz have released the deluxe edition of their new album, Cracker Island, which came out Friday. It features five bonus tracks: ‘Captain Chicken’ (featuring Del the Funky Homosapien), ‘Controllah’ (with MC Bin Laden), ‘Crockadillaz’ (featuring De La Soul and Dawn Penn), a 2D Piano Version of ‘Silent Running’ (wit Adeleye Omotayo), and a Dom Dolla remix of ‘New Gold’ (featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown). Take a listen below.
If you visit certain websites, you can get information regarding popular or trending names. You can do so by date. When you do, you’ll learn interesting facts.
Names that pop up when you click on a date reveal what happened that day. You can learn about current or recent events that way.
If you click on a certain date on one of these sites, you might get many hits on one name. Perhaps you click on a date and get the name Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers plays quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, and he sometimes does and says things that draw ridicule. A couple of years back, he refused the Covid-19 vaccine. He made statements doubting the vaccine’s efficacy on a podcast. That got him into the news cycle, and not for a good reason.
Recently, he went on a self-imposed “darkness retreat” after the Packers lost to the Detroit Lions in the season’s last game and consequently missed the playoffs. Rodgers went on the darkness retreat to center himself, or so he claimed. That also brought him a lot of attention.
These kinds of actions usually mark when someone famous becomes infamous. If someone’s name trends on a certain date, maybe they did something heroic, but more likely, they acted embarrassingly or ridiculously. When you click on a date and see their name trended, you’ll know they made themselves tabloid fodder.
Celebrity Squabbles
Many times, celebrity squabbles cause name trends. Consider the recent high-profile court case that pitted former spouses Amber Heard and Johnny Depp against each other.
Depp and Heard married after becoming close on a movie set a few years back. They seemed happy, but only briefly. Depp came out with a string of box office flops, and Heard’s career wasn’t doing much better.
Then, Heard said that Depp assaulted her. They had separated at that point, with Depp trying to resurrect his career. The bad press resulting from Heard’s statements lost Depp a role in the Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Depp sued Heard and claimed character defamation. The two went at it in the courtroom, with Depp saying Heard antagonized and physically attacked him. He claimed self-defense.
The jury eventually ruled in Depp’s favor, saying he should receive $10 million in compensatory damages and another $5 million in punitive damages. The judge knocked that amount down to $350,000 because of a state cap.
The two names, Depp and Heard, dominated the news cycle for several days, but not for any good reason. Their careers both suffered, with no directors willingly hiring Heard anymore and Depp getting smaller and less prestigious parts.
When an Unknown Becomes Famous
You might also click on a date on one of these sites and find a name dominating the news cycle that sprang from obscurity. Maybe this person rescued children from a burning building, but more likely, they did something wrong or at least controversial.
The name Kyle Rittenhouse is a perfect example. Rittenhouse became a household name back in 2020 when he took a gun from his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, to Madison, Wisconsin. He shot two men and wounded another. The men were there protesting police brutality.
The police did not arrest Rittenhouse at the scene. He returned home, where the cops came and got him hours later. He went to trial for the shootings, but the jury eventually acquitted him. He claimed self-defense.
When you click on dates and learn what names were in the news that day, what you read might inspire or appall you, depending on this person’s actions. Sometimes famous names reach new heights, while other times, names that meant nothing to a broad audience the day before suddenly become nationally or even internationally known.
Names make up human history, from Napoleon to Shakespeare, from The Marquis de Sade to Genghis Khan. If your name becomes famous, you’d hope you trend for a good reason. It all depends on how you conduct yourself. Your five minutes of fame that Andy Warhol spoke about might benefit you, or they may not.
Hong Sang-soo is a cumulative filmmaker. His creative shifts are most moving (sometimes only moving) framed within the larger context of his work. The stylistic detour in the coda of The Novelist’s Film, for instance, is likely only meaningful to viewers familiar with Hong’s world and attuned to the momentous feeling a small change in his aesthetic paradigm offers. Appreciating Hong films tends be foremost an act of contextualization. I preface this review with that acknowledgement because In Water, more than anything he’s made, likely won’t appeal to detractors or firstcomers. It’s a film so small it’s liable to seep through the cracks of your fingers, yet also one of the most unique additions to his filmography.
In typical Hong fashion, In Water is about an artist and their craft. Without any script or plan, a young filmmaker named Sungmo (Shin Seokho) enlists two colleagues to shoot a short film. They spend leisurely days strolling, chatting, location scouting, and eating (a cast of only young characters is atypical for Hong, as are the characters’ pizza-and-soda diets). Sungmo is at an internal crossroad, burdened with self-doubts, financial concerns, and loneliness. His isolation is accentuated by a tender flirtation which sparks between his collaborators as they tease each other about Tae Kwon Do moves and potential apparitions. As always, Hong’s a filmmaker enraptured by quotidian details, allowing them to take spotlight over grand narrative arcs.
In the most obvious aesthetic deviation of Hong’s oeuvre, he photographs In Water almost entirely out-of-focus. “I’m sick of a sharp image,” he explained in a post-screening Berlinale Q&A. But it’s more than that. Over the last two decades, Hong’s eyesight has drastically deteriorated to the point where, without corrective lenses, his own natural vision is a vast blur. In Water’s images simulate how Hong‘s eyes see the world: an endless fog, where forms bleed into each other and boundaries between objects and bodies become less tangible.
In this sense (and this sense only), In Water evokes Derek Jarman’s Blue: an aesthetically monolithic film where voiceover and soundscape accompany an unchanging blue screen. In the wake of Jarman’s own lost vision during his battle with AIDS, his eyesight was reduced to a perpetual blueness. Jarman’s film presents his own reality, foregrounding his unique sensory experience. In the spirit of Blue, Hong prioritizes his own perception over clarity and sharpness. Though his artistry shares little else in common with Jarman, both filmmakers position their own eyesight as an alternative visual configuration. Both movies are some of the latest late-style imaginable. They’re films with complete apathy towards spectators’ expectations, liberated from the rigid confines of standard image-making. They exist for themselves, with nothing to prove.
This is a laidback and stress-free movie even by Hong’s standards. There’s almost no interpersonal conflict, just glimmers of an aching melancholia. Most of the feeling stems from Sungmo and the quiet orb of uncertainty which engulfs him. At one point, Hong films him standing static in a yard, soundtracked by grating wind. The sounds are crisp while the image remains blurred. It’s a moment without movement, prolonged into intense lonesomeness. Later, in a more conventional beat, he calls an ex-girlfriend on the phone. There’s nothing revealing in their chat, just the innate melancholy of the past flooding into the present. Because In Water avoids outward emotional displays, its quiets and stillnesses bear a poignant nakedness.
Still, I was struck by how much less emotional In Water is than most Hong movies. Its joys and sadnesses are particularly muted and the characters feel a bit vague. At times, the film feels more like a conceptual exercise: an alien form for a Hong movie to take! However, the last shot of the movie is among the most moving in Hong’s body of work. Its music, duration, and the out-of-focusness result in a delicate and bittersweet finale. The shot rests somewhere between tangibility and abstraction: a perfect blur. It’s an image of absolute sincerity.
The popularity of online casinos has been on the rise due to the convenience and accessibility they offer to players all over the world. A significant contributing factor to this trend is the diverse range of payment methods available to players. A seamless online gaming experience relies heavily on the ability to make secure and hassle-free transactions, making payment methods a critical aspect of the online casino experience. In this article, we will delve into the most commonly used payment methods in online casinos and how they can enhance your overall gaming experience.
There are many advantages to using credit cards in online casinos. Credit card transactions are generally faster than those made by cash. This is due to the fact that credit card companies have to verify your identity when you cash out a certain amount of money each month (e.g., $500). Online casinos that accept credit card payments are likely to have higher limits compared to those that accept cash. As a general rule, the higher the limit, the lower the fees. Another advantage of using credit cards in online casinos is that most of them offer cashback. This means that whenever you cash out your winnings with your credit card, the casino will give you back a certain percentage of your win. This percentage can vary between 50% to 85% depending on the card you have chosen.
Neteller
Neteller is one of the most commonly used payment methods in online casinos. It is a quick and easy way to make payments. You can use it to buy casino credits and make deposits to your Neteller account as well as the cash out your balance. You can deposit money into your Neteller account from any of the supported payment methods like a credit card, bank wire transfer, Paysafecard, or online bank transfer. Neteller is a popular payment choice among online casino players worldwide. It is available in most countries and has no withdrawal or deposit limits as long as you have a minimum account balance of $20.
PayPal
PayPal is another popular payment method in online casinos. It is a global online payment system that lets you make payments between individuals and businesses without sharing financial information. You can use it to transfer money to your PayPal account or use it to fund your online casino balance. There are no minimum withdrawal limits on funds that you can withdraw from your PayPal account. However, there are certain restrictions on funds that you can deposit in a PayPal account. You can only fund your PayPal account using a credit card, bank transfer, or cryptocurrency.
Skrill
Skrill is one of the most popular payment methods in online casinos that accept credit cards. This is due to its ability to transfer funds to your Skrill account immediately. You can use it to buy casino credits and make deposits to your Skrill account. Skrill is a well-known e-wallet service that allows you to make and withdraw money from your account by using your existing online banking information.
Bank Wire Transfer (BWT)
Banks are a more trusted option compared to e-wallets like Neteller and Skrill. BWT is a safe method of transferring money and is approved by most banks. To get started, you need to open a bank account and transfer funds from your existing account to your new one. You can fund your new bank account using either a credit card or a bank transfer. Note that if you are using a credit card to fund your new account, you will have to pay interest and possibly a transaction fee. Banks charge fees for using their service, which vary from account to account, depending on your location. Also, you need to remember that the transfer process can take several days. Online casinos that accept BWT are regulated and ensure your funds are safe. You can rest assured that your money is being securely transferred.
Choose Wisely
Selecting the appropriate payment method is critical for successful online casino gaming. Each payment method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so conducting thorough research is vital in order to discover the option that best suits your requirements. When you utilize the appropriate payment method, you can expect smooth and secure transactions, guaranteeing your funds’ safety and allowing you to concentrate on enjoying your gaming experience. By taking advantage of the most up-to-date payment technologies, you can savor a hassle-free and pleasurable gaming experience from the comfort of your own residence.
Jack White returned to the Saturday Night Live stage for the fifth time as musical guest. He was joined by drummer Daru Jones, bassist Dominic Davis, and keyboardist Quincy McCrary to perform ‘Taking Me Back’ and the title track from his 2022 LP Fear of the Dawn, and later delivered a rendition of ‘A Tip From You to Me’ from its acoustic companion, Entering Heaven Alive. The episode was hosted by Woody Harrelson, who also made his fifth appearance on the show. Watch it below.
A healthy dog is a happy dog, but it can be heartbreaking to watch your friend suffer when a canine companion has liver disease. According to Vale Veterinary Clinic, in the initial phases of liver issues in dogs, the liver can experience swelling and enlargement. Some owners have found that providing dog supplements made from natural ingredients may help support overall liver health and improve quality of life. As the disease progresses, liver cells perish and are succeeded by scar tissue, causing the liver to become tough and rubbery.
Nevertheless, before the liver reaches this end stage, it can recuperate and self-heal to the point where a dog’s liver function becomes normal, given that proper treatment is administered at an early stage. Typically, about 80% of liver cells must die before liver failure occurs.
The good news is that liver disease in dogs can often be managed with proper care and monitoring by their owners.
Here are some practical tips for managing your pet’s condition:
Diet
Dogs with liver disease may require a specialized diet that is low in copper and high in quality protein to help support liver function and manage their symptoms.
The liver plays an important role in regulating the levels of copper in a dog’s body. Dogs with liver disease may have trouble processing and eliminating excess copper, which can build up in their liver and cause further damage. Therefore, a diet that is low in copper can help reduce the workload on the liver and prevent further damage.
Additionally, dogs with liver disease may require a high-quality protein diet that is easily digestible and contains essential amino acids. This can help support their overall health and provide them with the nutrients they need to maintain muscle mass and energy levels.
Your veterinarian may recommend a specific brand of dog food that is tailored to your dog’s individual needs. It’s important to follow their recommendations carefully and avoid feeding your dog table scraps or treats that could be harmful to its liver.
When considering options like Mighty Munch dog food, be sure to evaluate its ingredients and nutritional value to ensure it meets your dog’s requirements. With the right diet, you can help your furry friend thrive and enjoy a long, healthy life.
Medications
Medications can be an important part of managing liver disease in dogs, as they can help manage symptoms and improve liver function. However, it’s important to always follow your veterinarian’s instructions carefully and never give your dog medication without consulting with a professional.
One medication that is commonly used to manage liver disease in dogs is Denamarin, which contains a combination of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and silybin. SAMe is a naturally occurring compound that helps support liver function by providing the liver with essential nutrients. Silybin is a potent antioxidant that can help protect the liver from damage.
Denamarin for dogs is available in chewable tablets and can be given daily to dogs with liver disease. It’s important to follow the dosage instructions carefully and ensure your dog takes the medication consistently.
In addition to Denamarin, your veterinarian may prescribe other medications to help manage your dog’s symptoms, such as anti-nausea medication or antibiotics to prevent infection.
Regular check-ups
Regular check-ups are an important aspect of caring for a dog with liver disease. These appointments allow your veterinarian to monitor your dog’s condition and adjust their treatment plan as needed. The frequency of these appointments will depend on the severity of your dog’s liver disease and its individual needs.
Fetch by WebMD says a vet must know all about your pet’s diet and medications during their visit. They may also do blood tests, X-rays, or ultrasounds to get a better picture of what’s going on with the dog’s liver. If necessary, a biopsy can be done by removing a small sample of tissue for testing.
Based on the results of the check-up, your veterinarian may adjust your dog’s medication, recommend dietary changes, or suggest other treatments to manage their liver disease.
Avoid toxins
Avoiding toxins is a crucial aspect of caring for a dog with liver disease. The liver plays an important role in filtering toxins from the body, but when it is damaged, it may not be able to do this effectively. Exposure to toxins can further damage the liver and exacerbate symptoms.
To reduce the risk of exposure to toxins, it is important to be aware of potential sources of toxins in your dog’s environment. This may include household chemicals, such as cleaning products or pesticides, as well as certain foods or medications that can be toxic to dogs with liver disease.
It is also important to ensure that your dog’s water supply is free from contaminants, such as heavy metals or bacteria, that can put additional strain on the liver. Providing your dog with fresh, clean water at all times is essential.
Chronicle Live, in its recent report, pointed out that many springtime plants can also prove to be toxic to dogs. The most common spring bulls that you need to keep your pooch away from are daffodils, spring crocuses, bluebells, and tulips.
Other plants to look out for include rhododendron, azalea, and the roots of cyclamen plants which, if ingested, can be potentially fatal for a dog.
If you suspect that your dog has been exposed to toxins, make sure you seek veterinary care immediately. Symptoms of toxin exposure may include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or seizures, and can quickly become life-threatening.
Exercise
While dogs with liver disease may not be able to exercise as vigorously as healthy dogs, it’s still important to provide them with regular exercise to help maintain their overall health and well-being. Your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate exercise plan based on your dog’s individual needs.
While dogs with liver disease can safely enjoy some forms of exercise in warm weather, they need extra care when exercising in hot weather (above 80 degrees Fahrenheit).
Dogs should be monitored closely when outside during hot weather because they may become overheated or dehydrated quickly without realizing it. You should also keep an eye out for signs that your pet is too hot or thirsty, such as panting heavily or licking excessively at his paws or face.
If these symptoms occur, stop the activity immediately, move into the shade, give him plenty of water, take him inside if possible, and call the vet if symptoms persist after 15 minutes.
Monitor for symptoms
Liver disease can be a subtle disease, and it’s important to monitor your dog for symptoms. The most common signs of liver disease are jaundice (a yellowish tint to the skin), weight loss, and vomiting.
If you notice any of these symptoms in your pet, contact your veterinarian immediately so that they can rule out other causes for those symptoms before deciding whether further testing is necessary.
Conclusion
So, now you know a bit more about what to expect when caring for a dog with liver disease. The best thing you can do is to be proactive and watch out for signs of illness in your pet. If you notice anything unusual in their behavior or appearance (weight loss, vomiting), then you should seek medical attention immediately.
Thomas Bangalter, formerly one half of Daft Punk, has released a new track called ‘Le Minoutaure’. It’s taken from his upcoming album Mythologies, an orchestral work he composed for the ballet of the same name. Listen to ‘Le Minoutaure’ below.
Mythologies is slated for release on April 7 via Erato/Warner Classics. Bangalter previewed the record with ‘L’Accouchement’ last month.
mui zyu is the solo project of Eva Liu, who was born in Northern Ireland to Hong Kong parents and is now based in London. She is also a member of the art-rock trio Dama Scout alongside Danny Grant and Luciano Rossi, the latter of whom serves as a co-producer on mui zyu’s first full-length, Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century, which is out today. When we talked to the band last year around the release of their debut LP, get wo lai (come with me), Liu explained that, although she grew up listening to a lot of Cantonese pop from the ’70s and ’90s, she didn’t fully embrace her heritage until she started making her own music, which made a conscious effort to combine her diverse influences.
The new album feels like a natural evolution from 2021’s a wonderful thing vomits, drawing from her love of video game soundtracks and fusing traditional Chinese instruments with warped, dreamy electronics while delving deeper into Chinese folklore and her relationship with family and identity. Some songs reach towards swirling transcendence, others scan more like an intentional glitch; they’re split between a world of sorcerers and witches and what she calls a “kitchen sink reality” of collaged memories, including voicemails from both her dad and mum. Its fantastical journey isn’t a means of escape so much as immersion, and as eerie and disorienting as it can feel, Liu imbues the atmosphere with gentle, comforting melodies and words that never fail to envelop.
We caught up with mui zyu for this edition of our Artist Spotlight interview series to talk about the concept behind Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century, the development of the project, merging the fantastical and the mundane, and more.
When you started putting together Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century, did any of the ideas run alongside what you were working on with Dama Scout, or did you intentionally keep the two projects separate?
With get wo lai (come with me), like I had mentioned to you before, I was exploring a lot about my Chinese heritage, and I felt like I had processed a lot of things and was in a good place with it. But then there was a lot of other things happening in the past few years, particularly hate crimes towards East and Southeast Asian people, and that led me to delve even deeper into a lot of things to do with my Chinese heritage. It also brought a lot of people from these backgrounds together to share their stories and provide support and go about creating positive change, and that unleashed a whole other side to my songwriting. It just naturally continued to pour out. With the EP, that’s kind of what I had touched on, but I see the album as a sort of closure of all of that. The listener is taken on this journey, and at the end of the album there’s a cathartic release.
I get the sense that the Dama Scout album, despite being a group project, came more from a place of introspection and looking into your past, whereas this record emerged from a need for community and connection.
Yeah, the Dama Scout album is probably more coming from the perspective of someone who felt quite alone or isolated. As a continuation of that, having been a part of these amazing communities, and also exploring further into my Hong Kong heritage – my parents moved to Hong Kong in 2019, and I was feeling quite far away from them, so I was making even more of an effort to connect with them. It was probably more of a positive approach.
Can you share more about your involvement in these communities?
During the pandemic, when there was a lot of hate crime towards East and Southeast Asian people, these communities naturally formed – not with any sort of specific goal in mind, it was just more coming together and being there for each other. The more people joined, the more we all shared as a whole. All of our different experiences, particularly people who had grown up in a Western society and having to juggle different cultures, like myself. Growing up in a Chinese household, at times I’ve had to live above a Chinese restaurant, or I’ve had to deal with a lot of things at school that I didn’t quite understand until a lot later; being part of these communities, having shared these stories and realizing that you’re not the only one, and that times when you often blamed yourself for certain things happening is not your fault, and that certain things like microaggressions that you thought weren’t real are real. Learning new ways to deal with past experiences.
In particular with ESEA Sisters, we came together in environments where it was a very safe space and we had, like, healing circles and sessions where we were able to talk about experiences of racism or certain traumas. It’s been very empowering hearing other people’s stories and having each other’s support. We even started a Mahjong group. Growing up, I felt very much resentful of my background, and now I’m fully embracing it. I play Mahjong like every week, with a community who are also learning and are also in the same place in their journeys as well.
At the beginning of the process, did you already have a firm idea of what the album was going to evolve into, in terms of the story or the sound that you wanted to bring forward?
The themes I think I hadn’t planned, but I guess I kind of knew it was shaping that way, in terms of exploring identity and processing everything that was happening. I didn’t think it would be wholly about that, it just sort of naturally came together that way. But I did have this idea quite early on of the listener being taken through a journey through this central character, this role-playing video game sort of concept. And also touching on elements of fantasy and folklore – that was definitely something I had in mind as well quite early on. I was reading a lot of Chinese folklore at the time, particularly Pu Songling’s short stories. It’s very fantastical and surreal in terms of the imagery he writes about. I wouldn’t say it’s horror, but it’s very eerie. I wanted something like that, that was a bit unnerving. I was also around this time immersing myself in a lot of video games – I particularly love open-world video games – and I was combining all these things that I was absorbing and wanted to build my music around that concept. And it fit quite well because what I was writing about is my journey, my own identity, although the character that is part of the album is not me. I want it to be whatever the listener can relate to it to; it can be anything, but at times it probably is just me.
Was it challenging to tread that balance when you were writing around the protagonist?
By having a character to build around, it sort of made it easier to write. I feel like if I was writing completely from my perspective, it would have been a lot more of a draining process. Having a figure to write through and as if it’s their experience, it made it more interesting, like you can manipulate it in different ways. But also, it made me live through this character as opposed to just completely tearing myself apart. [laughs]
How about the metaphor of the rotten bun? Was it a case where you had the song and it turned into the album title, or did you have the idea and built the album around that?
The song came first, and I just loved the imagery of the rotten bun being the rotten heart of this warrior. But also, I gravitated a lot toward imagery that related to food because food was a big part of my life and a huge part of my culture. It’s something I’ve been connecting with more with my dad now that he lives so far away. He was a restaurant owner and it’s his passion, like he really gets animated when he talks about food. Using imagery around food is definitely a big part of how I write. Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century came together from seeing all the track names together – for some reason those words stuck out to me, and it sounded like it could be a video game name or the name of a folk story.
It’s a great title, and also pretty absurd.
Yeah, that’s something that I love to marry in my music – things that are a bit strange, but also maybe sound beautiful. I definitely strive for absurdity every so often.
You talked about leaning into fantasy, but in the same way that you manipulate traditional and modern instrumentation, you also blend the fantastical with the everyday. One of my favorite lines is from ‘Demon 01’, where you sing, “I call all my friends/ This afternoon/ Holding all our hands/ With super glue.” As you were exploring otherworldly, eerie sounds and stories, what kept you grounded in these human moments?
I guess I wanted to bring it back down to Earth, in a sense, and make the listener realize it’s reflective of society to some extent. It also goes back to me liking to merge things that don’t necessarily fit together, and I think that’s something I always naturally gravitate towards. With ‘Rotten Bun’, the lyric “The sorcerers and witches who doubt themselves,” it’s mixing these fantastical characters, but they also have very normal problems – they also are burning out over, I don’t know, casting too many spells or something. [laughs] I liked playing around with that idea. Like I mentioned, I wanted it to reflect real experiences as well; that’s why I included things like field recordings mushed into this expansive world.
Why did you decide to include those field recordings?
As I was writing, I was reflecting on a lot of past experiences and different sounds from growing up. One that I often talk about is growing up above my dad’s restaurant when I was a kid, when I did my homework or when I was trying to get to sleep, hearing people dining downstairs or the kitchen noise or the smashing of the woks was really comforting to me. I’m one of those people who can’t sleep without sound, so I’ll sometimes have music or some sort of noise in the room as I good to sleep. I don’t know if that’s because since I was a kid I’ve always had noise around me. When we eventually moved out of the restaurant, I would sometimes fall asleep to my dad coming back from work and he’d be cooking up some noodles, or my family would get together and play Mahjong. And the sound of the tiles – people are like, “How did you fall asleep to that?” But I found it really soothing.The more I was thinking about that and about these sounds, I did think it’d be cool to capture that in some way in the songs, even though most of them you can’t really hear, it’s processed or quite manipulated. Also, I had my dad read a recipe –
That’s definitely not very hidden.
Yeah, that one’s pretty obvious. Like I mentioned before, I bonded with my dad a lot over making food, and he would often send me voice notes – actually, both my parents send me voice notes because I think they find typing too slow. [laughs] Sometimes I’ll text my dad and it’ll say “Typing…” for like 10 minutes and it’ll just be a really short sentence. But when it’s a whole recipe or instructions on how to make something, he’ll just dictate it on a phone. I really cherish those audio notes, and I felt like it needed to be on the album. It’s a specific recipe that I asked him to explain – he didn’t actually send that to me before. Because usually he’d just be walking around the house or on the street, but this one, he sat down and put on this formal voice. I don’t know where the recipe come from, but it’s apparently a Hong Kong way of making a fried egg. It’s called Ho Bao Daan, which technically means purse, like a little purse egg. But I also liked that imagery of the little pocket being like an inventory bag in a game.
When it came to collaborating with your bandmate Lucci for the album’s production, how was the dynamic different from working together in Dama Scout?
When I start mui zyu, I didn’t really have any kind of intention to build anything from it. I was writing a lot around 2020, 2021, just putting all these loose ideas together. And Lucci helped me materialize a lot of my ideas and putting it into Logic. I think with this project, the ideas are already quite visualized, and I knew exactly what I was going for. With Dama Scout, we were all in the room together, writing together, and experimenting with different sounds. To be honest, my experience of being in Dama Scout has empowered me and also helped me be a better musician and songwriter. My approach to songwriting and making sounds has definitely improved a lot through being in a band with Danny and Lucci. I feel very lucky to be working with Lucci again. He’s such a good producer, and I feel like him and I gel really well together. I feel like he knows exactly what I’m trying to achieve. I think we mentioned last time when we were talking about the ‘emails from suzanne’ video, Danny was working a lot with 3D, so it’s been amazing having him involved with visuals as well.
You mentioned closure earlier, and the last part of the record includes two different kinds of goodbyes: to lost loved ones on ‘Paw Paw’, and to a more internal darkness on ‘Eggless Century’. Does releasing the album add to the catharsis that came with writing these songs?
Yeah, I think that definitely adds to the closure and the purging of everything that I went through in that time. It definitely feels like, as cheesy as it sounds, I’m ready to move on to the next chapter. I’m already putting together new music that I feel is already a new – not necessarily sound, but approach to my writing.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Conway the Machine has announced his next LP, Won’t He Do It, which comes out March 31 via Drumwork Music Group/Empire. Juicy J produced its first single, ‘Super Bowl’, and also features on the track alongside the Houston rapper Sauce Walka.
Conway had this to say about the track:
‘Super Bowl’ is just one of them ONES! Big rings, big ice on, big money, celebrating BIG WINS. In life, you gotta be proud of yourself for all of your hard work paying off. A win is a blessing, and you always gotta count your blessings” Conway proclaims. “Shout out to my brother Juicy J, he sent me this hard ass beat, and I did a verse to it immediately. Then I’m like nah, what would REALLY be crazy is my bro Sauce Walka on it too! Sent it to bro, he smoked it, then I sent it to Juice Mane and he smoked it, and here you have it!
Last year, Conway the Machine released the album God Don’t Make Mistakes.
