- Sludgy and sometimes hilarious darkwave and techno from a New York-based artist who lays it all on the table.
- For some, singledom is the optimal time to liberally explore sexuality. But when a pandemic is added to the mix, things can get hairy. Flirting is confined to the digital sphere, where dozens of meanings are ascribed to emojis, DMs are fraught and the concept of real-life promiscuity seems as foreign and shameful as a trip outside without a mask on.
New York-based DJ Russell E.L. Butler's music has always been charged with emotion, often paired with poetic abstracts and brief asides about their mental state in the liner notes. Emotional Bangers Only 2 isn't much of a cutaway from these earlier records, striking up conversations about "sex, intimacy, hoeing and attempting to progress as a relational being." The EP is bookended with hilarious, deprecating skits featuring an unknown voice that appears to play the role of a verbal dominatrix, firmly reminding Butler that they're going to get fucked—if only they'd shut the fuck up first.
A slow-moving, dreary fog clouds over the remainder of the record. "DM Slipper" is sailing darkwave, sliced with mechanical sirens that add grit to an otherwise teary-eyed tune. The following "Context Clues" is defined by a satisfying build-up: a mischievous melody nostalgic of tiptoe sound effects from an old cartoon runs throughout, gradually accompanied by stormy pads and countered by an '80s synthline. It's transfixing pointillism. The EP's strangest track might be "I Make Loving Me Hard," where arpeggiated synths wander aimlessly, dubstep wubs tremble and pads moan and groan. Butler's insistence on being vulnerable might be their greatest asset, as it makes for hearty laughs, pensive meanderings and above all, deeply relatable music.