Underscores “Wallsocket” Album Review

Wallsocket

underscores

• Genre: Alternative
• Date: 22 Sep, 2023
• Content: explicit
• Track(s): 12
• ℗ 2023 Mom+Pop under exclusive license from Corporate Rockmusic, Inc.

With funk-influenced basslines, dubstep falters, and trap beats that can sound like Ecumenism for its own sake, April Harper Grey, a.k.a. Underscores, puts a bratty, purposefully unsettling take on hyperpop. The San Francisco-based singer, songwriter, and producer’s sound has evolved on Wallsocket, her second studio album. You’d be excused for not instantly catching the intertwined theme among the over 10,000 distinct sonic concepts in underscores’ second LP. The loose concept album is centred around the characters of the made-up town of Wallsocket, Michigan.

‘Wallsocket’ is, for the most part, the sound of a creative person working beautifully and solely to their terms. The album showcases underscores artistic growth and experimentation, as she seamlessly blends various genres and musical elements to create a unique sonic experience. With each track, she takes listeners on a journey through the fictional town, capturing its essence and the stories of its inhabitants. ‘Wallsocket’ is a testament to underscores’ artistic independence and her ability to create captivating and deeply personal music.

Album Art

The letter “U” is depicted on the album cover, though it may have some semblance of a horseshoe. This signpost-like design may be intended to allude to the stories and imaginations that emanate from the fictional town that Underscore is creating. The album’s straightforward but inventive approach is laudable, and this is a strong project.

Tracks And Features

A woman battling a condition that is “as rare as it gets” and a girl being love-bombed by a paedophile are just two problematic young people whose viewpoints are used in Wallsocket. The album’s 12 songs explore themes of class animosity and alienation. The residents of this unassuming neighbourhood serve as a framework for April Harper Grey’s wildly eclectic and out-there forays, allowing the bratty, Sleigh-Bells-gone-hyperpop blitzkrieg of “Locals (girls like us)” and the guitar fizz of opener “Cops and Robbers” to coexist in some strange postcode harmony. The album delves into the complexities of societal divisions and the struggles faced by marginalized individuals. It showcases April Harper Grey’s unique ability to blend contrasting genres and create a cohesive sonic experience that captures the essence of their neighbourhood. Wallsocket invites listeners to explore a world where unconventional sounds and perspectives collide, ultimately challenging preconceived notions and celebrating diversity.

Although the songs are still young—”Locals (Girls Like Us)” and “Johnny Johnny Johnny” have sing-along choruses that evoke pep rally cheers—she sings from a similarly aged point of view. Wallsocket, while significantly improved over 2021’s “fishmonger” bedroom output, nevertheless boldly displays its laptop and one-woman band roots. However, there are other moments of brilliance throughout this song, from the loopy Beck rendition of “Shoot to kill, kill your darlings” to “Johnny Johnny Johnny,” which takes the elementary school cry and transforms it into a scorching dance-punk kiss-off. Grey questions why a wealthy child would want to join the military in “Shoot to Kill, Kill Your Darlings,” in “Old Money Bitch,” she sneers at the billionaire’s daughter, who has struggled financially.

The bombastic “Cops and Robbers,” which is the most rock-oriented song on the album, tells the story of a bank teller who conspires with his customers to fund his methamphetamine habit while being proud that he can do it without “a ski mask and a gun.” The man’s despair and the consequences of his sin are cleverly reflected in the song’s frantic tempo. As the song progresses, the intense guitar riffs and pounding drums create a sense of urgency, mirroring the chaotic nature of the protagonist’s life. The lyrics delve into his internal struggle, torn between his addiction and the guilt that eats away at him, ultimately leading to a tragic downfall.

The song “Geez Louise” with Henhouse! starts as a punk diatribe with Grey screaming the song’s title over a fast-paced beat, but it swiftly transitions into a slower, more sombre portion with an acoustic guitar. Grey’s voice, some laid-back percussion, and a synthesizer are the only other sounds on “Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” a loop of a woman reciting the song’s title, before noise bursts and an unexpected harmonica solo abruptly ends the proceedings. The record’s softer moments, which appear out of nowhere, are sometimes hurt by the abrupt about-turns that are sometimes too extreme.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE	ARTIST	TIME
1	Cops and robbers	underscores	4:25
2	Locals (Girls like us)	underscores & gabby start	4:18
3	Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh	underscores	4:07
4	You don’t even know who I am	underscores	4:04
5	Johnny johnny johnny	underscores	4:05
6	Shoot to kill, kill your darlings	underscores	5:04
7	Horror movie soundtrack	underscores	3:52
8	Old money bitch	underscores	4:05
9	Geez louise	underscores & henhouse!	7:20
10	Seventyseven dog years	underscores	4:35
11	Uncanny long arms	underscores & Jane Remover	5:26
12	Good luck final girl	underscores	3:28

Album Summary

You won’t be wrong to think Wallsocket is “fantasy music.” Wallsocket’s songs veer from one tone or style to the next throughout, reflecting the emotions of Grey’s characters. Each piece has a similar epic grandeur as it explores the lives of everyday people while breaking genre clichés, in this case, Springsteen-style stories about abandoning tiny towns. Although Grey’s complex song structures and conceptual flourishes are reminiscent of ’70s art rock, the scenarios she describes are unique to modern-day life in America, notably the feeling that the nation is regressing into greater inequality. But for the most part, “Wallsocket” is the sound of a creative person working brilliantly and entirely on her terms.

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