M.I.A. (electronic and hip-hop artist) – Queen City Sounds and Art

The title track to Primer’s forthcoming EP Round and Round (due out June 6, 2024 via Born Losers Records for streaming, digital download and cassette) is a subversion of synthpop conventions even those the artist established for herself on previous releases. The melodic progressions go off the expected sequence and warp well outside in a way that somehow feels both accidental and purposeful. As though Alyssa Midcalf is trying to break the cycle of which she sings in the song while trying to maintain a coherent sense of self. In the music video we see Midcalf rolling with literal punches from boxing gloves and looking dazed now and again and smiling at times and dancing in place with multiple images of herself, in the end having a laugh at the absurdity of it all because you have to have a sense of humor when it feels like you’re facing the familiar challenges of the demons of your own mind. The song is like a slow cycling carnival ride with a beautifully expansive tonal arc like a fusion of the sensibilities of a 1980s synth pop artist, Kala-period MIA and modern indie pop artists like Charli XCX except with Midcalf’s signature deeply atmospheric synth work to give the song its emotional heft. Watch the video for “Round and Round” on YouTube and follow Primer at the links provided.

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It probably helps to know some Spanish to get the most out of Sonja La Makina’s “GOTEO” but as purely a piece of music it is immediately compelling as something different. You’ll hear elements of trap, perreo and more hip-hop-inflected electroclash but it’s La Makina’s fluidity and forcefulness in the use of language that stands out in a shuffling and shifting beat that weaves in compound rhythmic lines and playful synth work that augments a sense of swagger in the vocalist’s performance. Frankly, it’s the kind of music you imagine the characters in the futuristic urban environments the Hernandez Brothers’ Love And Rockets would listen to as they drive through the neighborhood and seem cooler than people vibing to basic tunes. Fans of M.I.A. will appreciate La Makina’s musical fusion. Listen to “GOTEO” on YouTube and follow Sonja La Makina at the links provided.