''Pixel Bath'' is the debut album by Mexican-American

experimental pop Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental techniques such as musique concrète, a ...

musician Jean Dawson, released October 23, 2020, by the artist's independent label P+.

Style and reception

AllMusic's Fred Thomas writes that on the album, Dawson "set out to create the 'soundtrack for a black

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

film that never ends', and accomplishes just that with this collection of nostalgic

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

melodies caught in perpetual conflicted collision with high-energy rap." The album includes opener "Devilish" which "moves abruptly from bellowed, melodramatic vocals to intense rap flows about monsters, boogie men, and surreal critiques of toxic masculinity" made even more unique by the placement of "his melodically sung lyrics ... over a backdrop of peppy guitars and bass that sounds like

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (sometimes abbreviated to CYHSY) is the musical project of American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Alec Ounsworth, active since the early 2000s in and out of Philadelphia. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have rel ...

at their catchiest" and "album standout" "TripleDouble" "with a

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

bass line decorated with

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

ad-libs and a big rock chorus." Dawson's "wild swings of imagination and daring are so unexpected they can be jarring, but it's this willingness to go outside of the known that puts ''Pixel Bath'' in a class by itself." ''

The Arts Fuse ''The Arts Fuse'' is an online arts magazine covering cultural events in Greater Boston, as well as Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the ...

''s Alex Szeptycki calls the album "a kaleidoscopic melange that vividly reflects the artist's personality and inspirations" and "one of the most compelling releases I've heard this year", with Dawson's "magnetic personality ... infused through the album's excitingly varied instrumentals and bold vocal performances." Per ''Beats Per Minute''s Kyle Kohner, Dawson's "refreshing and exciting" "undefinable alternative hip hop sound" brings "a bit of everything –

bedroom pop Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...

, industrial rap, and even

glitch-pop Glitch is a genre of electronic music that emerged in the 1990s. It is distinguished by the deliberate use of glitch-based audio media and other sonic artifacts. The glitching sounds featured in glitch tracks usually come from audio recording de ...

" to the album, making for a "boisterous marvel to behold, touched through and through with deep emotion." ''NME''s Jenessa Williams says that "by refusing to limit his musical focus Dawson buys himself a future of authentic experimentation, thrilling the listener with unexpected twists and turns that do, miraculously, offer up something for everyone" and that while "if you really want to find fault in ''Pixel Bath'', you might acknowledge that even the gnarliest of rollercoasters become that little bit less exciting once you've seen their blueprints", "if you're ready to hear what true unbounded creativity sounds like, Jean Dawson can take you on one hell of a ride."

Track listing

Release history

References

{{Reflist 2020 debut albums Jean Dawson albums Alternative hip hop albums by American artists Dream pop albums by American artists