popculture. is the debut album from familyfriend. A multi-instrumentalist and producer from Nottingham. His love for music began as a discovery of Texas and Supertramp CDs in his father’s collection, but soon morphed into a project that blends an eclectic mix of Nick Drake, Elliot Smith and Aphex Twin. On this first record, it – somehow – all comes together.
A deep set of bass notes and the descent of a distorted vocal kicks things off on ‘Head Out’. Once the intriguing intro settles, the album opener delivers an instrumental that’s other-worldly and filled with glitches. Making it come alive with all its edges. It’s like the sound is in a state of constant-melting, but there’s something quite addictive about it.
Self-described as an anti-Pop album, popculture. revels in its ability to subvert expectations. At its core, the songwriting sits within the Pop world, as familyfriend. reveals throughout it that he knows how to create a hook or two. ‘Hollywood’ does a great job at building an atmosphere with its shimmering synths, but allows it to dissipate into a guitar-driven tune that sounds straight out of early-Gorillaz times. There’s a psychedelic quality to it that’s easy to get lost into, and those distant synths heard throughout really adds to this parts unknown vibe it has.
This is explored further on ‘Black Book’, which begins with an acoustic riff that allows familyfriend.’s vocals to lead the way, before things really get moving. An old school sound is met when synths emerge along with harmonies that add texture to the mix, as it comes away from its intimate setting and into another ambitious number that’s heavy and haunting towards the end. It sounds like a lot, but the looseness of structure really makes it easy for these songs to become what they want.
‘Superking Blue’ snaps into focus with a scatty drum beat that immediately gives off Radiohead vibes. ‘Lotus Flower’ has nothing on this though, as waves of vocal come crashing through that glitch and repeat themselves throughout. Almost becoming another instrument. Its tempo is frantic and urgent, and spills over into the near-palate-cleanser that is ‘Snake Eat Snake’.
familyfriend. has introduced himself in a big way with popculture. Not only is it a flex of his self-taught, DIY skills, but it’s a celebration of creating something that’s not bound by genre. Each song could easily be three, but all of their parts come together without disrupting the flow, because there is no flow. The flow is an ocean of creativity, and familyfriend. invites us to dive into it. This is certainly one of the most creative and ambitious albums of the year, and I can’t believe that this is a debut record too. It’s awesome.
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