Midwxst Returns with Contemplation and Cohesion on "E3"
Fresh out of Indiana, 20-year-old midwxst returns with a bang on his latest album, E3. The LP is a dive into midwxst’s mind as told by a character of his own creation: E3. The musician–midwxst and his soud don’t fit neatly into the categories of rapper or singer–flits between maximalist production and a raw look inwards. Drawing from his all encapsulating taste, ranging from EDM and electronica to XXXtentacion and Tyler, the Creator, midwxst flexes his eclectic, original sound on the exciting E3.
Midwxst’s moniker is a direct homage to his hometown roots. The Midwest has recently churned out stars like Michigan’s Babyface Ray and Babytron, and midwxst is further expanding the area’s impact. He brings his Indiana flair–something unique to his multi-genre world–to E3. Blasts of traditional emo-indie with tinges of diet nightcore build a bonafide soundscape for the listener to warp into.
Buzzy production shakes the record, but meets acoustic elements, like on the melodic “heartache blues.” Turning E3 on its head, “warning” is a cacophonic pseudo ballad that encapsulates the album’s unique blend of rocker meets rapper meets hyperpopper. “Lights out,” a track that contains equal traces of Juice Wrld, Breathe Carolina, and midwxst’s own experimental tunes, the artist’s conflicted attitudes of confidence, self-assurace, and heartache rear their head: “I see the light/You can't replace me, I'm the prototype/Know that I'm broken, see it in my eyes/Hate when I woke up, you weren't by my side.”
Denver-based singer-songwriter Sophie Gray helms the album as executive producer, working to establish, “sonically, some sort of consistency.” Midwxst explained that, “The same [blue Super 8] keyboard was used on every single track.” Details like this cohesive the record, emphasizing midwxst’s attention to the nitty gritty of E3.
In his own words, midwxst thinks that “the underground has[n’t] been this healthy since the 2016 XXL class.” If E3 is the image of 2023’s underground scene, he might be right.
Written By Liz Foster
