Genesis Owusu is a star. With Struggler, the Ghanaian-Australian artist builds on the strengths of his multifaceted debut — 2021's Smiling with No Teeth — and channels them into a more focused and cohesive body of work, fusing a cacophony of eclectic sounds and influences to explore the challenges of navigating life's many hurdles.
Struggler sees Owusu detailing his experiences with depression, romance, racism, and more; it's a meditation on life's overwhelming and hectic nature, on finding a way to deal with the lack of control as everything comes at you at once.
Musically, the album expands on Smiling with No Teeth's kaleidoscopic nature, amalgamating elements of post-punk, R&B, hip-hop, funk, new wave, psychedelic rock and more while maintaining a sense of concision and purpose. It's an impressive feat on its own, but Owusu taking on this varied instrumentation feels like an extra layer in the album's conceptual navigation of life's many curveballs.
Things kick off with lead single "Leaving the Light," an instantaneous jolt of energy. With an infectious and rapid bassline that leads to a rousing refrain, the song feels built for live shows, existing at the crossroads of post-punk, new wave and hip-hop and capturing a raucous nature that one can't help but bob their head to.
Serving as both a personal rumination about religion and a critical self-reflection, "Old Man" sees Owusu exploring his relationship with God and the world around him, proclaiming that it feels as if there's "An old man / Waiting in the sky trying to fuck [his] life up." Despite the weight of the content, the underlying synth lead paired with the anthemic, sweeping chorus makes for an uplifting slice of existentialism.
With the following track, "See Ya There," Owusu decides to slow everything down, getting into a softer, sexier R&B-tinged sound with vocal stylings reminiscent of For You-era Prince. It's the sole moment of sultry, understated release on a tracklist that otherwise leans toward the alternative or experimental aspects of Owusu's sound.
"What Comes Will Come" is the closest that Struggler gets to a "traditional" hip-hop sound; the instrumentation remains lush and incredibly layered, but its loop-driven groove allows Owusu to flex a new kind of cadence. The track sees Owusu looking inward and exploring his own culpability in his turmoil, opening the second verse by claiming that he's "busy making new trauma so [he's] got something to rap about," and questioning why exactly that is. Shortly after the two-minute mark, the self-reflection of the verses leads into acceptance as the instrumental shifts entirely, a rattling drum break and chorus of synths leading the way. It's a necessary moment of catharsis following the intimate self-reflection of the two preceding verses and sets the tone perfectly for closer "Stuck to the Fan."
Owusu's penchant for pulling catchiness from chaos is undeniably his greatest strength — with Struggler, he's proven that he's a singular talent, overcoming the sophomore slump and putting the world on notice by taking everything that made Smiling with No Teeth so special and digging deeper, building a world that's uniquely his own.
(Ourness Records), (AWAL Records)Struggler sees Owusu detailing his experiences with depression, romance, racism, and more; it's a meditation on life's overwhelming and hectic nature, on finding a way to deal with the lack of control as everything comes at you at once.
Musically, the album expands on Smiling with No Teeth's kaleidoscopic nature, amalgamating elements of post-punk, R&B, hip-hop, funk, new wave, psychedelic rock and more while maintaining a sense of concision and purpose. It's an impressive feat on its own, but Owusu taking on this varied instrumentation feels like an extra layer in the album's conceptual navigation of life's many curveballs.
Things kick off with lead single "Leaving the Light," an instantaneous jolt of energy. With an infectious and rapid bassline that leads to a rousing refrain, the song feels built for live shows, existing at the crossroads of post-punk, new wave and hip-hop and capturing a raucous nature that one can't help but bob their head to.
Serving as both a personal rumination about religion and a critical self-reflection, "Old Man" sees Owusu exploring his relationship with God and the world around him, proclaiming that it feels as if there's "An old man / Waiting in the sky trying to fuck [his] life up." Despite the weight of the content, the underlying synth lead paired with the anthemic, sweeping chorus makes for an uplifting slice of existentialism.
With the following track, "See Ya There," Owusu decides to slow everything down, getting into a softer, sexier R&B-tinged sound with vocal stylings reminiscent of For You-era Prince. It's the sole moment of sultry, understated release on a tracklist that otherwise leans toward the alternative or experimental aspects of Owusu's sound.
"What Comes Will Come" is the closest that Struggler gets to a "traditional" hip-hop sound; the instrumentation remains lush and incredibly layered, but its loop-driven groove allows Owusu to flex a new kind of cadence. The track sees Owusu looking inward and exploring his own culpability in his turmoil, opening the second verse by claiming that he's "busy making new trauma so [he's] got something to rap about," and questioning why exactly that is. Shortly after the two-minute mark, the self-reflection of the verses leads into acceptance as the instrumental shifts entirely, a rattling drum break and chorus of synths leading the way. It's a necessary moment of catharsis following the intimate self-reflection of the two preceding verses and sets the tone perfectly for closer "Stuck to the Fan."
Owusu's penchant for pulling catchiness from chaos is undeniably his greatest strength — with Struggler, he's proven that he's a singular talent, overcoming the sophomore slump and putting the world on notice by taking everything that made Smiling with No Teeth so special and digging deeper, building a world that's uniquely his own.
