Zambian-Canadian rapper Backxwash (“Daddy Issues”) released her fourth full-length album “HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING” on Oct. 31. This concludes a trilogy of albums in which Backxwash reflects on her past while embracing a neo-gothic persona, all to the tune of metal-backed horrorcore.
It is no surprise that “HIS HAPPINESS” was released on Halloween, since this album is ripe with Backxwash’s standard serving of dark, cruel lyricism and chilling production. In this new release, though, she goes far deeper than before into the depths of her childhood trauma, particularly that of the church. Her lyrics are embedded with allusions to Christian mythology and her struggle to hold on to her faith while experiencing abuse.
The album kicks off with “VIBANDA,” a track that feels like a rapid-fire possession of a confessional booth. Backxwash unleashes her angst of coping with sexual abuse under a figure who she censors out of the track. This happens many times throughout the album. Her rough, demonic voice clashes with the beautiful intricacy of her poetic rapping: “Creeks are opening and closing/I see the form of the temptress/Will Jehovah respect this/Or clip my rosary necklace?” She emotes her voice in despair, like she is losing breath and falling into an abyss. A haunting choir harmonizes with an atmospheric post-metal guitar; at one point there is a sample of Mozart’s sepulchral “Requiem.” For those unfamiliar with Backxwash’s unique style of music, “VIBANDA” is a hard-hitting start to one of the grimmest albums of this year.
While the sincere efforts of the album place the focus on Backxwash’s cutthroat lyrics, the album suffers from cohesion that wears into many tracks sounding exhaustingly similar. The album follows a format of a slow, monotonous flow backed by a heavy trap beat mixed with a lush barrage of post-metal. Essentially, once you have heard the first track you have heard most of the album. Her previous album, “I LIE HERE BURIED…,” offered a variety of industrial experiments and surprisingly catchy melodies that left it resonating far past edgelord ranting. This is not to say that Backxwash has shed her production capabilities, but the album’s lack of motion faults it into disappointment.
There are a few standout exceptions. The two-minute “MULUNGU” functions more as an interlude, but offers a refreshing spark of explosive energy. The glitchy beat bordering on hyperpop sounds like laser swords slashing through the confines of a prison, real or imaginary. The track sounds close to Death Grips (“Gmail and the Restraining Orders”) but with Backxwash’s brand of retributive bravado.
Closer “MUKAZI” is a detour that seems almost ironic in its lack of horrorcore entirely, instead the only instrumentals being a sample of a ‘70s soul record. Do not let the warm fuzziness of sentimental oldies fool you: the track explores Backxwash’s experiences with suicide and how she transcended those feelings through her music and her loved ones. She raps, “In the cypher rapping, that is where I found my passion/Almost like time stood still when the rhymes are blasted.” As jarring as the track may be, this surprise is a benediction to a story plagued with tragedy.
“HIS HAPPINESS” may not be as exciting as its predecessor, but that did not stop Backxwash from releasing yet another collection of tracks filled with doom and repentance. “HIS HAPPINESS” is a product of Backxwash’s personal label Ugly Hag, and is currently only available on her Bandcamp.
Image from Backxwash via Bandcamp
