Death Grips don’t make things easy for their fans. From the aborted gigs (including teased shows never intended to happen) to the penis-covered artwork to a supposed breakup they are the music industry’s version of an Internet troll. And yet anything less from them and they’d lose their allure.
One month away from their double LP The Powers That B Stefan “MC Ride” Burnett Zach Hill and Andy Morin have leaked a “surprise album” and soundtrack called Fashion Week as a free download. To make matters even more confusing not only did this album originally fake-leak on Reddit but the tracks are titled to spell out “JENNY DEATH WHEN.” Jenny Death just so happens to be the title of the second side of The Powers That B.
Perhaps the most confusing thing of all about Fashion Week though is that this “Instrumental Full-Length Soundtrack” is quite easily the most listener-friendly Death Grips recording yet. And while MC Ride is certainly one of the most singular voices in music right now 95 per cent of that has to do with the absence of Ride’s clamorous grunts.
Fashion Week could easily lend itself to Ride’s strident style of rapping but without him the group’s musicianship is given more clarity and a chance to project itself. While it’s hard to imagine any of these unruly songs actually soundtracking a runway as they did at London Fashion Week there is plenty to take away from this mixed bag.
It feels strange saying this about an instrumental album but Fashion Week just might be the best gateway for those who’ve been curious but too intimidated to check out Death Grips.
