“This world will leave me behind, it waits for nobody.”
Songwriter, producer, and engineer, King Yosef, has had an eventful last few years in music. Featuring on a single for Static Dress’ near flawless 2022 record Rouge Carpet Disaster, and on Vincente Void’s 2019 track “Mud”, it’s obvious Yosef is striving to cement a name for himself this upcoming album cycle. That is, of course, if you don’t consider working with Ski Mask The Slump God, and producing my favorite track by the late XXXTENTACION, “King”, ‘cemented’ enough.
An Underlying Hum is a work of pure rage and frustration, and that sentiment is more than apparent with Yosef’s lead single “Power”. With an opening lyric that boldly and emphatically states, “I could have the whole world and it isn’t enough. I want power and all the things that God’s afraid to touch,” the album’s tone is crystal clear. There is no lack of emotion in this song, nor is there throughout the record. This single is a call to arms, and with its call-and-response chorus that, strangely, proves uplifting in execution, the track’s title speaks for itself. I could see this feature on many workout playlists due to its demanding and outwardly energetic essence.
Opening the record with the short, menacing cut, “Frame”, there is no question about what kind of record the listener is about to indulge in, for better or for worse. The immense pounding of the drums on “Cascade Of Doubt” reminds me of one of the best songs of last year; Vatican‘s “Damage”. That comparison doesn’t divert from the caliber of this track, since it does its own thing altogether, but that minor essence adds a lot to its sound.
The subtle underlying hip hop beats accompanied by the percussion leave this track, and many in the first half of this album, led almost wholly by that same percussion. Having the drums be so discernible in the mix does many favors for the tone of this project, allowing the violent nature of these songs to be at the forefront. However, it also creates a foundation that makes it too easy for the first string of songs to sound a tad samey.
Nonetheless, “Nameless” manages to break this cycle with a standout chorus for this record. Incorporating a clean vocal style without detracting from the heaviness present in the last few tracks, makes for an album cut worthy of being a single. The electronic breakdown also provides that variety that the record was somewhat lacking up to this point. It’s catchy and memorable, even while neighboring “Power”, as well as the blast beat charged “110817” that follows. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this still wouldn’t be my favorite track on the record.
Yosef ends the string of vicious tracks with, perhaps, the most brutal of them all. Another minute and a half track, the aforementioned “110817” serves as a sort of closer before transitioning to the second half of the record. For the next three tracks, your ears get an intermission; a necessary moment of reprieve, with the three most tame cuts across the album.
Following track “Drift Below” opens with a much more eerie approach than any of the other previous tracks. The open, sustained guitar notes alongside the more delicate vocals in the first couple of minutes create a much different atmosphere than we were last left with. The latter half of this cut brings back those screams that Yosef has been belting out, but with a fuzzy filter on them that permits a type of restraint to his aggression. Finally, the track ends with a repeating baseline, mellowing out the atmosphere to make way for my second choice song on the album.
“Adrienne” is a fully instrumental interlude, led by a gorgeous piano that is later drowned out with Loathe sounding ambience. I don’t usually have much to say about interludes like this, but the emotional vibrancy of this song struck me as some of the best work done for this project. This short cut creates an environment that I didn’t exactly expect from King Yosef, but welcomed gratefully. An Underlying Hum then pilots us perfectly into what I believe to be the strongest track across the record, “Pulling At A Thread”.
The brooding beat of the drums, coinciding with the melancholic acoustic guitar and despondent vocals on this track conceive the most emotional power out of any track on this LP. I can’t think of many songs that make me feel more apathetic, or like I want to crawl up in a dimly lit room and rot there, more than “Pulling At A Thread”. For that reason, I almost feel like the album could have concluded with this song. I felt exhausted by it, but regardless of how cheerful or somber a song tries to make you, I think if it’s capable of actually subjecting you a tangible, formidable feeling like that, then it is notable.
The album ends on the title track, “An Underlying Hum”, which I still appreciate despite my previous implications. This song perfectly binds the ghostliness of the record’s second half with the malice of the former. This tune takes on a similar drum pattern from “Cascade of Doubt” and incorporates it with my favorite breakdown on the record. Fusing the sound of amplifier interference with some of the hardest riffs of the whole album, then ending the song so abruptly, left me exactly how Yosef probably wanted his listeners to feel; blissfully confused.
Considering how reliant this album is on Lynden Rook‘s drum work, I anticipated that the album would carry that heavy, percussive climate throughout. While I believe that sound was unnecessarily prolonged and could have used a subdued track within the first leg of the project, it doesn’t take much away from the excellence of An Underlying Hum, particularly within its second half. With this record, King Yosef proves he has yet to be led astray from his persistent path to success, and continues to impress me with every appearance he makes, whether it be as a feature or on his own.
8/10
An Underlying Hum is out this Friday, April 28th, via Bleakhouse. You can pre-order the record here, and can read our interview with Yosef in the coming days.