And he gives us a taste of the city
Youniss is the Antwerp-based polymath who sings, writes songs, produces AND also co-directed short films ahead of his latest album release, ‘Good Effort!’. With the sonic qualities anchored in the unpredictability of noise, the hues of jazz-tones, and the energy of post-punk, today, Youniss raps cynically about his city experience and pours it into an album.
‘Good Effort!’ is based on the realities of living in a city, where themes of gentrification and the biting interactions of the everyday come to form an urban critique. Tasting bittersweetly, the songs tell various stories, ones that are steeped in the good, the bad, but mostly in daily life. Youniss shares his experience of growing up as a Black man with an Arabic name in the outskirts of Antwerp, with the faced microaggressions, the pressure and intensity of the day-to-day, and the gobbling effect of gentrification on once familiar neighbourhoods.
Both the city and his album cannot be confined to only a few tropes. Tracks like ‘Gits Worse’ and ‘Kill the Light’ are fueled with energy, their changing tempos matching the sudden turns you take when navigating (un)known streets. ‘Birds (real)’ takes on a grimy, half-ironic take on conspiracy theories of birds disguised as government drones, (hitting a bit too close to home in today’s day and age). ‘Found Footage’ offers a mystical melodic intermezzo, and the closing track ‘Why Don’t You’ tempts with emo-tinged bass riffs and calming vocals. The record overall acts as a vessel of Youniss’ wide range of vocals, from rapping to singing, layered on top of his gluttonous production.
If listening to Youniss’ new album means we can vent our critiques on urban city planning as a bonus… we’ll take it.
Words by Lora Lolev
Image courtesy of the artist
