U by Underscores

I was introduced to underscores sometime in 2022, and I had a few songs off of fishmonger on my then, mostly hyperpop playlist. But really, it was when Wallsocket dropped I really got into underscores, in a way that I think fundamentally changed me. At least, it changed the way I thought about music, Wallsocket was the first album that I was EVER excited for, the singles had accompanied me on this trip to China, which I didn't really fully enjoy because I do not think I was in a very good spot in my life. I'm not really sure what about the singles caught my attention so much, but what matters is that I was there at midnight, the exact time that Wallsocket dropped, and what matters is that it became the only thing I listened to for the next month. Just complete obsession. Though everything about the album that I loved, I feel wasn't really about the album? I say this because I quite literally cannot tell you why I liked the album so much, to the extent I found myself liking it, at least just considering the actual sonic content of the album. But I feel it has something to do with underscores herself, the hype around the album, the ARG that had pieces popping into place, among just the persona of underscores that I was creating in my head. Not only was this the first time I have ever seen something like this done, and probably the first concept album that I experienced in the first place, but it was from someone who I really just thought was so cool. And while, I'm kind of making it out to say that the actual album isn't good and I just thought it was good because of hype, the album still is amazing sonically. The lyrics are dense, and play with the setting of small american hometown extremely well, the album mixes genres in a way that is completely inspiring and fresh, and the complexity within the sonic layers of the album is done to perfection. As close to perfection that imperfect ears can hear, and imperfect mind can understand. But how good the album is doesn't explain why I became obsessed with it, it just gave me a reason to become obsessed in the first place. My love for underscores as a figure, and Wallsocket as an album, was definitely deeply rooted in my identity, which I suppose is important to explain for this entire little essay I'm writing, but is something that I really don't want to go into because I don't have to tell you anything ^_^

U by underscores is an album I have a lot to say about because of my love for underscores as an artist, and just seeing where she goes. A lot of my favorite artists that I keep up with in this fashion, are all extremely talented, forward thinking, capable, and completely self-written and self-produced. Some artists within the same space come to mind like Jane Remover and Quadeca, who fall into this echelon of some of the coolest artists of the 2020s, making truly new music that feels completely within its own era. It is so incredibly interesting to keep up with these artists, because like any good artist, what they do next is informed by their previous work, and their newer work always ends up being a rejection of their previous in some way. Trying new things, exploring new sounds, growing as an artist.

U reminds me a lot of Jane Remover's Revengeseekerz. Unlike their previous work that could be considered much more of a "concept album" looking to tackle "bigger" ideas and emotions, Revengeseekerz and U both seem very self-centered... but in a good way! They deal with the artist themselves, and in a way that is very meta. Revengeseekerz is this complete rejection of Jane's past work, and focuses a lot on their changes within themselves and the art that they want to create. U is similar in that it's in part about this change in persona, and in thoughts, in the process of music creation itself. This new sound is one that is radically different from everything else in their discography, and is one that they want to make.

U is incredibly well done in terms of production, underscores is a genius in writing an amazing pop chorus. The first half of the album (give or take) deals with her new persona as a popstar in an instrospective way. Then the rest of the songs serve to be incredible pop songs. But there's something about this album that doesn't make me enjoy it as much as her previous work. In a vacuum this album is amazing, it takes the formula and sonic palette of the newly popular hyperpop sound and just executes it flawlessly. But I can't help but compare it to previous work, and this is completely unfair, which I'm aware of, but the lyrical prowess she showed on previous projects seems to have taken a backseat on this album. There are some lines that I did love, but for the most part, everything felt.. stereotypical? The album falls into many tropes of its sound. This was done completely on purpose, which I don't have a doubt of, but I really just don't resonate with some aspects of these songs.

This album wasn't made for me. This album is completely meant to be danced to, played at a club, where you would really be able to feel the sound of the bass through the subwoofers. Part of me is willing to dance, and I feel I might grow on some of the songs as I just let everything go and just feel the music how it was meant to be felt. "Music" (the song) is incredible and pretty much all of the songs are bangers in their own right. But this doesn't come so naturally to me.. This album feels out of place within just how I feel right as a person right now. It reminds me of the recession pop of the late 2000s and early 2010s, which thrived off of the ability to just.. let go, forget everything else and just dance. A conclusion that feels self-centered but isn't something you can really blame anyone on. I'm not saying this because "things are bad" right now. They are, but I'm not trying to say that U by underscores is a criminal distraction from the real issues like human rights and the fall of our American democracy! Because that's idiotic, and just such a petty and useless fight to even think about picking in the first place. This "just dance" attitude is something that I can't get behind, because that's not really me right now. In a completely general sense. To see this album as "perfect", I feel like I need to be in a completely different mindset, one that I know I can get into, but one that I don't really want to get into, because of how wrong it feels, because of how it feels so baked in these ideas of self-preservation and egoism. But I do understand that the album is amazing, as I said before it's this kind of beacon of pop music that has been executed incredibly smoothly, but with this I can accept that it truly isn't my thing right now.

I don't think "lesser" of underscores for this album. If I were in a 30x worse position in my mental wellbeing I could probably preach about how underscores has "abandoned me". Which is probably incredibly parasocial and strange and are thoughts I'm glad I'm not having. She is still an incredibly talented artist and all this album does is prove her mastery in executing new sounds and ideas incredibly well. This album makes the next one (I can only hope there will be a next underscores album) that much more exciting to me, to continue to follow underscores as an artist and see where she ends up next. For U she has expressed (in an NME interview link) how she has been finding passion to create music in collaboration. This interview really is incredible, and shows a lot of her creative process in a way that really feels good to hear, in a way that makes me want to take a backseat, and just enjoy what she's put out. U really does feel like something that she wants to make, it's fun, it's light, it's an incredible showcasing of her production talents, and for these reasons I feel I'll grow on some of the songs (I dont like hate any of them, or even dislike any of them a little bit....) This entire string of words is just to get some of my (quite insignificant) thoughts about one of my favorite artists, and in a way, kind of appreciate being able to express these thoughts, these qualms I feel. underscores still freaking awesome and I Wish her Well for what she does next.