➤ MHYSA, from p.28
song, it works on more than one level: they sing,
“I can tell I need me tonight,” with the chorus “I
need a little time with me.” It describes an evening
much deeper and more nourishing than
staying at home to binge Netfl ix and chill. The
production leaves space for Mhysa’s voice, as a
simple programmed beat loops around for the
song’s entire length.
The most inspired song title of 2020 — admittedly,
the year is still young — “sad slutty baby
wants more for the world” consists of a barrage
of electronic static, with Mhysa singing “hooyeah”
in the background. “ropeburn” picks up
in the same mode, but with Mhysa louder in
the mix. The tenderness of their voice, fi ltered
through distortion and fi ghting to be heard over
white noise, is moving. On a fi rst listen, the lyrics
are impossible to make out. It’s a lullaby for
parents who like having kinky sex to Throbbing
Gristle.
On both of their albums, Mhysa reinterprets
classic Black music. Their fi rst album ends with
a cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” “Nevaeh”
includes a two-part version of the gospel standard
“When The Saints Go Marching In” and a
rendition of Lauryn Hill’s chorus from Nas’ “If
I Ruled the World.” They strip the machismo
away from the original song by taking out Nas’
three verses, told from the perspective of a confl
icted drug dealer, and renaming it “breaker of
chains.” Through heavy echo, Mhysa preserves
the hope of the original song’s chorus, singing,
“if I ruled the world, I’d free all my sons/
I’d love ‘em, love ‘em, baby/ Black diamonds
and pearls” over and over again while playing
a tambourine.
“Sanaa Lathan” is as close as Mhysa comes
to conventional pop, fi nally expressing a lust
that can be fulfi lled. It has the album’s most
fl eshed-out arrangement, with a piledriver of a
keyboard riff. “brand nu” turns pop heartbreak
inside out, with a backing track based around
chimes, violin, and tuned percussion and Mhysa
singing, “You should feel lucky that I choose
to love you.”
Mhysa describes “Nevaeh” as a safe space
for Black women and femmes, but the comforting
tone of their voice comes at a cost. Song
after song wraps loving sentiments beneath a
prickly coating. Its optimism is hard-won. On
“no weapon formed against you shall prosper,”
which quotes the Lord’s Prayer, they sing “tenderness
comes from pain.” But this album never
becomes assaultive even at its noisiest. With
minimalist production, Mhysa’s voice guides
the listener away from the stress it describes.
E. Jane opens their studio at Studio Museum 127
in Harlem to the public on February 29 from 1 to
4 p.m. at 429 W. 127th St. This preview of their
work in progress is free and open to the public.
MHYSA | “Nevaeh” | Hyperdub | Drops Feb. 14
| hyperdub.net/collections/mhysa
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