Ominous Mood

To say that Christian Martinez has an intriguing story would be a tremendous understatement. Commonly referred to as Kdeath, the Moodie Black lead singer identifies as a transgender woman. In addition to that, Martinez is both Black and Hispanic. While it may seem unnecessary to bring up all of these labels, they are essential to understanding Kdeath’s perspective in their music. Facing massive amounts of marginalization on a regular basis, Martinez looks to music as an outlet. Starting with their last project Nausea, Martinez started diving further into topics such as gender, the state of hip-hop and race.

Martinez’s potent and powerful lyrical performances were so strong that they somehow were able to cut through the erratic and downright frightening noise landscapes plastered across that record. While Martinez may often speak in an authoritative and braggadocios tone, the content of their music pretty heavily contradicts this voice. Distortion and fuzz effects create an equally damning and destructive atmosphere on 2014’s Nausea. On Nausea, the abrasive textures are very much at the forefront of the mix, which makes Martinez’s poetry often hard to discern beneath the abstract walls of sound that make up many of the beats.

On Lucas Acid, however, Martinez takes a different approach. Their first album as an open trans-woman, Lucas Acid sees Martinez increase the emphasis on lyrics, stripping back the abrasiveness of the production a notch. The result is a powerful record, with strong concepts that shine through amongst production that can be challenging at times.

Right off the bat, it is clear that Martinez aimed for complexity on Lucas Acid. “Vanowen” paints a picture of a conflicted human being, a person who feels stuck in between so many different lifestyles, that they find it hard to dictate exactly who they are anymore. The beat also seems to have a strange duality to it as well. The grimy bassline feels very in touch with hip-hop roots, but the shoegazey guitars embody the rowdiness of an experimental rock track. On top of this, the synth work on this track feels akin to industrial dancehall music. Perhaps this musical sporadicity is supposed to go hand in hand with the song’s message. Having many different identities creates internal conflict and ultimately may lead to one’s demise (this demise can be heard in the Kanye West sample at the end of the track).

This internal conflict is all more present on the next track “Freedom.” Here, Martinez is heard trying to lift up Black and Hispanic citizens. This seems very straightforward until you realize that Martinez is also critiquing these cultures as well. While Martinez has been outwardly supportive of his racial identity and people of color in general, many people have not made it easy for Kdeath to transition into a trans person. This criticism appears to be eating Martinez alive as the beat on this track sounds like someone falling into an abyss. The eerie fluctuation in the synth notes in the verses build suspense until, ultimately, the audience is thrown headfirst into a free fall when the chorus hits.

“Sway” is another track that touches on this conflict, but there’s a more palpable energy to it. Instead of feeling a bit slow and dramatic, Martinez’s flow dramatically picks up the pace. Accents on the front of each phrase propel each stanza that they spout out into the listeners’ brain. While the track still takes quite the nose dive with some psychedelic guitar modulations in the middle section, this more poetic vibe was a welcome change for the album.

“Palm Trees,” another standout track, features bendy chords that create a very dreamlike environment. The more easy-going delivery on this track also separates it from the rest of the pack. Lastly, “Parished” features more guitar work, in the latter half of the song, which is very enjoyable. Where a song like “Lips” seemed a bit contrived, “Parished” feels free and melodic while also still piercing enough to fit the record.

While this album does feel rather front-loaded, it is impossible to deny that it has some incredibly strong moments. Martinez’s interesting story and viewpoints teach the listener that it is important to not just take things at face value. Dig further into problems and ultimately be an advocate for yourself and others when someone is letting you down. There is always more you can learn and always challenges you can take on. There’s always going to be a Lucas Acid to inspire you.