ALBUM REVIEW: Only Dust Remains – Backxwash
“I know where I’ve been / And I don’t know where the fuck I’m going / It’s a long fucking way / But I can tell you one motherfucking thing / I feel so motherfucking free.” If anything comes close to capturing the spirit of BACKXWASH’s new album Only Dust Remains, it is this: a declaration of triumph and defiance delivered atop the exhilarating drum ‘n’ bass outro that caps off its second single 9th Heaven. Gone is much of the oppressive darkness that characterised the near-flawless trilogy of albums the Zambian-Canadian rapper and producer released from 2020 to 2022 – each with a title that would obliterate the word count to spell out here – and in its place stand all manner of glistening soundscapes and sparkling synths and intricate instrumental arrangements that saturate this record with such rich and vibrant life even when the words on the page may seem to suggest otherwise.
Because, to be clear, ‘free’ – in BACKXWASH’s case at least – doesn’t often appear to mean ‘happy’. The album’s other single Wake Up, an incendiary seven-minute opus released almost a year ago, appears second in the tracklist here, bristling with a combination of self-loathing and righteous indignation that feels particularly prominent in the record’s opening third. Later, DISSOCIATION follows the aforementioned 9th Heaven and carries with it an air of profound sadness both in its instrumental and in its reflections on themes of addiction and depression – even if it does eventually take a turn for the hopeful – while History Of Violence after that proves a showstopper among showstoppers as it pivots to the ongoing genocide in Gaza (“Never mention the kids or you’re in league / Never mention the men or you’re in league / Never mention the women / Never mention the children / Never mention the victims or you’re in league”).
As a rapper and a lyricist, BACKXWASH is on the form of her life here. Lengthy verses play out like streams of consciousness, many laced with religious imagery and questions of mortality, and delivered with a humanity and versatility that makes all the rage and sorrow and hope contained within them feel that much more palpable. The journey is not particularly linear, but the album does seem to move towards acceptance as it nears its close. Stairway To Heaven – a track whose title evokes ZEPPELIN but whose instrumental screams FLOYD – declares “Do not fear the void / It is not your enemy / Neither is it your friend”, while the album’s summery, eponymous closer samples Nina Simone, the quote of “what I hope to do all the time, is to be so completely myself” again capturing something of the very essence of this record.
Ultimately, Only Dust Remains is a vital, devastating and disarming work from an artist who has made such matters her speciality. It marks a clear and considerable evolution both sonically and thematically from the stunning trilogy that preceded it, while still bearing the same mark of impeccable quality, and its 40-minute runtime feels like barely a breath, essentially taking in the full spectrum of human emotion while still feeling complete and cohesive. BACKXWASH is without question one of the most interesting and important artists making music in the world today and this album is perhaps the finest proof of it yet. Listen to it.
Rating: 10/10
Only Dust Remains is set for release on March 28th via Ugly Hag.
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