Isn’t it incredible that there hasn’t been more of this? Not these genre-agnostic, do-what-I-want-but-not-too-far-out-of-step soloists—there’s been entirely too many of them—but attempts to engineer another ‘brat’. Whatever Herculean levels of willpower that artists and / or handlers have developed might have led them to realise that it isn’t something you just do. The reason that ‘brat’ caught on was because of how meticulous the synergy between its branding, meaning and aesthetic was. When that aligned with the exact composite of Charli XCX as a character, people wanted to embrace it. That’s where the attempts to redo it in someone else’s image fall so majorly, when it begins and ends with the artist coming up with a word they think is cool.
Hence we get RAUNCH., the first impression that REDD. produces before even a second of music is heard, which apparently, in this context, means “being authentic”. Said authenticity makes itself known through trying to refurbish a trendy bandwagon and artwork that can best be described as ‘Aphex Twin at home’, but, y’know…authentic! Granted, the circles that REDD. wants to operate in will bandy out claims like that at the best of times, to the point where ‘not conforming’ has become its own version of conformity. In this brew of alt-pop, alt(ish)-rap, pop-rock and indie, the strong flavours of Yungblud and infusions of miscellaneous other ‘genreless’ hangers-on are predictable and then some.
Doesn’t sound like a terrific start, does it? It’s the conditioning at work, where frequently poor or unappealing execution will make these artists out to be far lesser than they want to present and want you to believe. REDD., however, at least wears some explicit promise. Place them on a certain stratum and there’s definitely more going on; they aren’t as limited as DE’WAYNE, nor as altogether trash as grandson. In fact, on the burbling, clanky bedroom-soul of SHIMMY SHAKE. and the chop-and-rattle pop-rock of BAD DAYS., the aptitude for a good hook rises pleasantly high.
On the flipside, you get the too-common parts that are more of a hindrance for music like this and its wild ambitions. FUGH. SHI. goes to the exact pasture that they all do when they want to make a punk song, full of basic-to-the-core instrumentation and the excessive swearing that’s supposed to be rebellious, maybe? The TikTok-friendly voice is a real blow, too, when any DIY impulse from a deliberately weaker, untrained voice gets steamrolled by this being REDD.’s debut release and it’s coming out on Island. Stuff like that will always be an unbreakable ceiling, no matter how much good might rear its head elsewhere. Especially when your frontperson is preaching authenticity and building their brand around it, the air of such a meticulously crafted and moulded musical image feels like the further thing from it.
At least there’s solace in the fact that REDD. is no worse than the majority. Again, when you look at someone like grandson and how he’s converted all of that into sour, gurgling, uglified mush, a kid trying knocking out some songs to match their own definition of punk doesn’t seem nearly as bad. It’s the one benefit that FUGH. SHI. does have, in that there’s a profound sense of freedom and liberation that’s well-telegraphed throughout. It’s perhaps even more effective on BRITNEY IN 03. thanks to its dance-punk throb and the more open queerness that both read as obvious shorthand for unchained, unconfined expression. Maybe there is something authentic here, then, albeit in more granular supply than an entire release can carry.
But overall, it’s a bit of mixed bag on RAUNCH.. There’s definitely some quality and features to like, hung alongside further ones that’ll have your head in your hands as you wonder why people still insist on trying them out. At its centre, REDD. is a presence of equal multitudes, and while that’s no kind of automatic leg up, it does make this appear a little more interesting. That’s…something, anyway. And it works out for a couple of songs here, so maybe REDD.’s got a bit to work with after all. Not enough for Raunch Summer to be coming around any time soon, but it’s a start.
For fans of: Yungblud, grandson, DE’WAYNE
‘RAUNCH.’ by REDD. is released on 20th June on Island Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
