U

Underscores has that special sauce. She is one of a number of artists recently making waves in hyperpop and adjacent fields, all who have that same sauce. Specifically, I think of artists like Femtanyl, though the association is primarily borne from my seeing the both of them open last year for Danny Brown. Femtanyl’s music is also generally much more abrasive than April’s (and Femtanyl is newly a band of two as opposed to Underscores being just April), but the two are linked in my mind due to their dual flair for hypnotically engaging production, and remarkably “fresh” sounding tracks (and the Danny Brown connection, of course). This flair for out-of-the-box production imbues Underscores’ music with an amazing air of creativity that is, paradoxically, as approachable as it is experimental. Compared to Wallsocket, her prior album, U is far poppier, far more radio friendly, but every bit as gripping, if not even more so. When I put on this album, I cannot help but dance, I cannot help but groove, I cannot help but bop my head and smile.

In many ways, U reminds me of how I felt when I first listened to Charli XCX’s brat: there are slower, more intimate beats intermingled with the fast-paced bangers; there is a dominating emphasis on exciting production; and there is an overall spirit that is undeniably slay. Charli is brat, and April is a knockout – as she declares on “Innuendo (I Get U)”. Both of them make music that leaves me feeling the same way.  

One of my favorite moments off of U is during the track “Do It,” when April sings about the level of dedication of her fans:

Don’t you get it? (Don’t you get it?)
People get my lyrics tattooed on their bodies (Yeah)

It perfectly encapsulates the incredible degree of charismatic bravado she displays on the track, and it is that tongue-in-cheek braggadocio that helps make the record so fun, much like brat.

I really enjoyed Wallsocket, my initial introduction to April’s work. “Locals (girls like us)” was one of my favorite songs of that year. However, U has had me obsessed in a different, but even more potent way. The way it has me mentally strutting, even as I am just sitting here writing this review by pen, is simply addictive. It is really amazing to see her work continue to evolve, and I hope the initial explosion of success the album ahs garnered thus far only continues to grow, and catapult Underscores into greater and greater realms of success.

Favorite Song: Music