The past few months have been anything but normal for the LA artist kxvg (pronounced like ‘king’). He’s been stuck inside due to a global pandemic, he’s had to finish his undergraduate career online, and he’s been creating music and visuals while dealing with all of the above. What happens when you reach a huge milestone like graduating college – but it isn’t how you imagined? The result is perhaps embedded within his newest project cloudburst* – a five-track EP that meditates on growing up, disillusionment, memory, and loss. Having gained attention from many music-discovery outlets like One’s To Watch and Fashionably Early due to his eclectic internet-rap-meets-bedroom-pop style, kxvg’s newest offering sees him breaking new ground on one of the most exciting projects released so far this year.

You probably recognize kxvg’s name from our coverage of “Heterochromia” – one of three futuristic singles released over the past few months. cloudburst* takes many of the sonic elements of “Heterochromia” and turns them up to eleven, with some tracks serving as the foundation for glitchy and compressed vocal distortion, and others being vessels on which kxvg creates high-energy bangers for everyday consumption. Conceptually, cloudburst* tends to spend more time looking inward than outward – but this rare introspective candor only amplifies kxvg’s creative vision by making his music ultimately more relatable. The LA artist’s ability to balance heavy emotional subjects with refreshing authenticity is what makes him truly unique, and no matter your musical preferences you’ll be sure to find something to enjoy on his newest project.

‍cloudburst* is easily one of the most forward-thinking-yet-sentimental projects released this year, and to be honest, it’s probably one of the most original too. If anybody needs me, I’ll be playing this on rotation until kxvg delivers fans another offering – hopefully we won’t have to wait too long.

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