In 2016, Youth Lagoon mastermind Trevor Powers wrote an open letter explaining why he was ending the beloved bedroom project, calling it a “mental dungeon” that was holding him captive. Two years later, Powers has reemerged under his own name with a new album, Mulberry Violence.
Set free of his supposed shackles, the idiosyncratic soundcrafter spreads his wings with a more electric and eclectic sound palette, but the same intricate approach to songwriting. While at first exposure it strikes a noticeably different chord than his former project, the similarities grow the more you listen.
As with Youth Lagoon, Powers builds an intricate, emotive fantasy world that’s impossible not to get lost in, made deeply intimate by his condensed, moaned-out vocals. Regardless of the moniker it’s associated with, Mulberry Violence is another incredible work from a unique and profoundly expressive artist.
Score: 🔮🔮🔮🔮/5
Ryan is a writer, editor and vinyl collector currently based in Los Angeles. He started Mini Music Critic in 2017.