Only Dust Remains - Backxwash: Review
Review by Lavender:
Backxwash is a rapper who garnered tons of attention and acclaim for a trilogy of albums she released between 2020 and 2022. The projects combined a thunderous style of hip-hop crossed with an embrace for classical metal stylings and screamed vocals. In combination with her vulnerability and willingness to discuss harrowing subject matter, the resulting music was extremely intense and extremely unique. The trilogy ended with my favorite release of the bunch HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING which is among my favorite rap albums of this entire decade so far. So needless to say I was pretty excited for her return.
The two singles this album led with had my expectations as high as ever. "Wake Up" is a thunderous epic of a song that really blew me away last year and I still absolutely love it. It's a multi-faceted composition that slips in and out of its different passages flawlessly and the way it always circles back around to the title refrain thematically is great. I also love "9th Heaven" with it's dramatic biblical lyrics and haunting insinuations about approaching danger. The somehow triumphant and thunderous finale of the song absolutely pays it all off too.
The two singles aren't quite the thrashing metal-rap that's Backxwash made her name on, but they are unwavering in their intensity, something that the best deep cuts also deliver. "Black Lazarus" is an incredibly intense opener where Backxwash imagines her own death via overdose, remembers friends of hers who have died, and then eventually doubts the extent of her own suffering in the wake of children living through a genocide in Gaza. Yeah, heavy stuff. Instrumentally, the song starts off brooding and distant before soaring to an explosive conclusion. "History Of Violence" is the exact same and also serves as a lyrical highlight with a scope that spans all the way from 5he specific details of her life to major global deterioration.
But compared to previous Backxwash records, Only Dust Remains is less brash, dense, and chaotic. In fact, the inclusion of brighter moments feels like a continuation of "MUKAZI," the closing track to her previous album. "Dissociation" is a fascinating little track with hazy layers of shimmering synths in the background that sound like something from an M83 song of all things. It goes along well with brighter lyrics and more vivid memories as well as the song having a proper hook from guest vocalist Chloe Hotline. The closing track "Only Dust Remains" also feels like a brighter moment with a vulnerable optimism propelled by Backxwash's desire to outlast and outshine the people who hate her. The dreamy tone and Nina Simone sample achieve a more lucid presentation that wraps the album up nicely.
On past records, Backxwash has had no trouble occasionally foregoing conventional song structure, with her ravaging intensity alone working to keep up the momentum. But on the more reserved sonic palette of this record, those songs that merely mount verse on top of verse on top of verse are some of my least favorite. "Undesirable" has an interesting but ultimately kind of unnecessarily distracting beat, especially for a song where you're meant to pay so much attention to the lyrics. Backxwash digs into her own insecurities and self-conscious feelings, and as you'd expect, has plenty to say, but the way it just piles in verses on top of itself makes things a little bit difficult to really lock on to throughout. There's a similar issue on "Stairway To Heaven," though it thankfully has a fiery speech right in the middle that breaks up the monotony a bit and leads into the song's peak of intensity.
After improving with every single release in her trilogy, Backxwash hits the reset button on Only Dust Remains. While the album might not have quite as unique a blend of influences and a less commanding sonic palette, Backxwash's vulnerability and talent for songwriting is as bright as ever. Even if it may be an adjustment for those who are used to a Backxwash song blowing out their speakers, she's every bit as interesting when the dial is turned down just a bit. 7.5/10
For more rap check out my review of Clipping's Dead Channel Sky
