Backxwash — I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES — Album Review
Alternative | Hip-Hop | Rap | Metal | Industrial
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
I was absolutely blown away when I first stumbled into the dark musical world of the transgender Zambian-Canadian rap artist Ashanti Mutinta, and her musical project Backxwash.
My first experience of Backxwash came in the form of her sophomore studio album, God Has Nothing to Do with This Please Leave Him Out of It, which was released around this time last year. It presented that immensely dark and doomy style of rap-metal that I now see as synonymous with Backxwash, which is a claim that is only justified further by her 2021 follow-up, I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES.
There was an unfortunately weird turn of events regarding God Has Nothing to Do with This Please Leave Him Out of It, in which that 2020 effort was “temporarily” taken down from Spotify, due to issues involving sample clearance (likely pointing to the Black Sabbath sample on that album’s amazing opener). But to this day, it still hasn't returned on the streaming platform. This was a true shame, as that album definitely stood as one of my favourite projects of the previous year. Hopefully, the same fate will not befall this new effort.
That being said, I was excited to dive into this third studio album. And on an aesthetic level, I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES certainly didn’t disappoint. If anything, Backxwash really does up the ante with the darker, more doom-like atmosphere.
The way that Backxwash has achieved this, however, feels like a bit of a double-edged sword.
The slower, sludgier, and more downbeat approach that Backxwash has taken towards the production of this album, definitely elevated what was already an awesomely unnerving feel. However, it also detracts from the engaging feel that the best of what was on God Has Nothing to Do with This Please Leave Him Out of It had to offer. In the case of her stylistic guideline, Backxwash’s energy adds to the hellish feel in my opinion, while also adding to the enjoyment of her music overall. This sentiment, unfortunately, felt quite scarce on this new album, leaving me with conflicting feelings towards it.
In a nutshell, I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES felt like an album that had a much less firm grip on me than its predecessor. While it is still highly enjoyable for its atmospheric merit, the sense of engagement that feels somewhat lacking means that it isn’t an album that completely takes my mind off the 2020 effort.
However, that isn’t to say that this album does have a few energetic gems. Namely, the closing track “BURN TO ASHES” blows almost every other song on the album out of the water.
On top of that the themes of deteriorating mental health and the “downward spiral”, do strengthen the narrative appeal of this album, to an equal of God Has Nothing to Do with This Please Leave Him Out of It’s religious themes.
Although last year’s album still easily stands as my preferred project, I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES is also a very well crafted project, both contextually and atmospherically.
Favourite Tracks: WAIL OF THE BANSHEE | IN THY HOLY NAME | BURN TO ASHES
Least Favourite Track: 666 IN LUXAXA
Ugly Hag Records
Enjoyment: 7/10 | Memorability: 7/10 | Atmosphere: 9/10
Uniqueness: 8/10 | Satisfaction: 6/10 | Narrative: 8/10
