WHOA

Earl’s always been good at making music that sits wrong with you on purpose. WHOA isn’t any different, except it is—the production is thinner, more direct. He’s not burying himself as deep in the mix. Some of the tracks almost sound bright, or at least as bright as Earl gets, which isn’t saying much. It’s still mostly about isolation and distance, but there’s less of that desperate quality to it now. He’s not fighting the feeling anymore, just describing it.

I kept waiting for something to happen while listening, for the album to build toward something or flip into a different gear. It never does, and I think that’s the point. He’s done with the drama. The work gets done in small moments—a shifted tone, a weird vocal effect, a beat that lands differently than you expected it to. The restraint is what makes it work.

There’s something to respect about an artist who’s been doing this long enough to know what not to do. Most people confuse that with being lazy. With Earl it’s the opposite. Every choice he’s made not to add something means he’s thought about it first.