We need more Worlds Onlys and Bad Bunnys in the world.
Artists who decide to pursue a career in music reject the notion of the mundane grey laced cubicle lifestyle. With a decided career path already predetermined when walking through the door.
Going into the music industry hodge podge of PR, A&R, and email warriors that often try to box you in a certain genre or mold you to be “digestible”. They may not understand who you are or what your music is but at the end of the day its a business…so lets say no hard feelings.
Though some outliers are present, (have you heard of Dijon…<3) the industry with its record labels and notorious streaming giants, created an environment that rewards artists who stay in a predetermined sonic box with a stamped genre label given to you by a “playlist curator”.
Worlds Only defies these commandments and moldings as they are truly in this moment, the worlds only.
Would you leave yourself, starts off with a stretched Bad Bunny vocal that sets the tone of the whole album. Largely stretched and often vast. World’s Only constantly creates luscious tones bordering on eerie and ethereal - but never delicate. Each pluck of a guitar, spoken passage, or a drag of a bow is surrounded by a wall of sound collapsing into layers of other reverberated textures.
Each album that the band releases progressively reinterprets and rejigs what their sound is. If someone was to ever try to pinpoint it, expect reverb, distortion, and synth in their doomed thesis attempt - which some say is all you need to make an album (if you are part of the some please comment below).
The 7th track on the record Lost and saved is a stretched drum and bass track serenaded with eerie vocals, resonating guitar, and synth thrills. All neatly tied in with the same stretched Bad Bunny vocal in the background. Qeued next is Bumbag which immediately contrasts the previous track with its initial DJ screw esque instrumental under spoken word which gradually fades into what I could only describe as beautiful space shit (and I mean that in the greatest honour, please listen to it).
The title track is the last and rightfully so. Sweeping synths are painted with whaling vocals establishing this uneasy feeling as spoken passages goad you to fail your Blade Runner baseline test. It’s an ending theme to an eerie film where you can’t explain what you just saw but your eyes were glued to the screen - you just have to say that it's Worlds Only.
Words by Rafael Enriquez