Few artists carry the same mystique as Korean-American producer and vocalist, Yaeji. Never one to drop half-baked tracks, extended bouts of silence are common for her release schedule. But that means when new Yaeji drops we know we have to listen. Today, six years after the release of her first EP, Yaeji presents her long-awaited debut album, With A Hammer.
Artistry through sound has always been a defining factor of Yaeji’s library. From the timeless anthemic stomps of “Raingurl” to the abstract hypnosis of “THESE DAYS,” the bounds of genre have always been all but an afterthought. But each new project reveals more to us than just advances in production prowess, they share a deeper understanding of the artist behind the tunes.
With A Hammer is Yaeji’s all-out reckoning with the deepest parts of herself, the parts that many of us try to not only hide from the outside world, but from ourselves. “It’s abstractly about how anger is shapeshifting and how it passed through me. In a sense, the record is me just living and breathing,” she shared in an interview with Pitchfork.
This anger, born of a near-nomadic childhood filled with self-censoring, now finds its outlet with thirteen tracks of expansive sonic exploration. As her trauma is fluid and formless, so are her ties to the status quo of sound. Orchestral elements coexist with rich synthesized layers, while pop commingles with breakbeat breakdowns. With A Hammer is truly a living, breathing project in catharsis and one heck of a debut album. Stream below, and enjoy!