ALBUM REVIEW: An Underlying Hum – King Yosef
At just 25 years of age, Portland’s KING YOSEF has already made a seriously respected name for himself. Known at first for producing records for SoundCloud rappers like the controversial yet hugely successful XXXTENTACION, the past five years or so have seen Yosef (real name Tayves Yosef Pelletier) become a prolific creator in his own right, his output marked by an abrasive, genre-phobic style that even led to a stellar collaboration with the equally well-respected EBM duo YOUTH CODE in 2021. Technically though, An Underlying Hum is Yosef’s debut solo full-length – his longest, most fulsome, and most impressive statement of intent yet.
Having already established a largely unique sound for himself, there was no great need for Yosef to mess with the formula here. An Underlying Hum deals – essentially as expected – in a visceral concoction of hip-hop, metallic hardcore and industrial metal that uses both live and electronic instruments to launch a formidable and focused onslaught. Recorded and mixed by the inimitable Kurt Ballou, it strikes an excellent balance between both the processed and the organic, creating a massive sound that feels bleak, dystopian and futuristic on the one hand, and raw, feral and grounded on the other. Yosef’s vocals help especially with the latter, his sharp bark anchoring the record in something that feels in your face, live-ready and dangerous.
But if An Underlying Hum’s phenomenal intensity is practically a given, it’s the fact that this record does far more than just pummel you into oblivion that makes it truly brilliant. A bit like CODE ORANGE’s latest (proper) effort Underneath, this album doesn’t just rip you to shreds, it also manages to throw out plenty for you to grab onto in a way that pulls you in quickly and will have you coming back often. Tracks like Echo and Nameless make for early highlights for example, both adding proper melodic hooks to their big beats and crushing guitars to become the sort of rock club bangers that would’ve definitely been on the Blade or Matrix soundtracks had they come out a couple of decades ago (or more – time is cruel isn’t it?).
The record actually reaches even more of a melodic peak towards its end, first with the genuinely quite beautiful piano interlude of Adrienne, then into the acoustic guitar-driven trip-hop and DEPECHE MODE–isms of Pulling At A Thread, followed by the dynamic and moody six-and-a-half minutes of The Crevice_Light Seeps In. But even when it’s not going for hooks in the traditional sense, An Underlying Hum is quick to get under your skin; lead single Power is an absolute rager, its middle build pushing the intensity higher and higher until it feels like your head’s about to pop; 110817 clocks in at less than 90 seconds and squeezes a thick sludgy groove between the sort of noise-caked blast beats FULL OF HELL would be proud of; while the title track drags listeners through the mire one last time to bring the record to a bleak and decisive close.
At just 40 minutes all told, An Underlying Hum never stagnates or struggles for attention. It sounds fantastic, it keeps the listener guessing, and most importantly it leaves a well-rounded and lasting impression that feels entirely its own. You could put it near enough to NINE INCH NAILS or BACKXWASH or the aforementioned CODE ORANGE for example, but ultimately that has more to do with the uncompromising spirit of the record than any direct sonic reference point. That is to say that with An Underlying Hum – if it wasn’t apparent before – KING YOSEF has marked himself out as a truly special talent operating firmly in a lane of one.
Rating: 9/10
An Underlying Hum is set for release on April 28th via Bleakhouse.
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