March 2022 did not bring nearly as many amazing projects as February, but there was still more than enough good music to go around. Some of the best music of the month includes Asian Glow & Weatherday’s collaborative noisy lo-fi rock EP Weatherglow and the playful dance-pop of Charli XCX’s CRASH. The best album of the month, though, was undoubtedly Bladee and Ecco2k’s ethereal synth-pop masterpiece, Crest.
Bladee and Ecco2k both hail from Stockholm, Sweden, where they, along with Thaiboy Digital, Whitearmor, and Yung Sherman, make up the music and fashion collective Drain Gang. Since 2013, Drain Gang has been one of the most prolific forces in music, releasing project after project of their idiosyncratic blend of cloud rap and ambient pop. While I haven’t always been the biggest fan of their music, I was won over by Bladee’s excellent album The Fool from last year. It was his most focused work yet and featured catchy melodies and heavenly production on every single track, and these traits carry over remarkably well to Crest.
Producer Whitearmor wastes no time introducing the listener to his consistently breathtaking production on the opener “The Flag is Raised”, where swirling synths and bouncy 808s immediately meld with Bladee’s voice to create an entrancing atmosphere. The production only becomes more layered in the endlessly catchy chorus where Thaiboy Digital sings, “Head of the fountain/Head of the arrowhead/Don’t touch me/Don’t let them bait you”. While there are certainly good lines throughout the project, the lyrics undoubtedly take a backseat and often act only as vessels for Bladee and Ecco2k’s earworm melodies.
The highlight of the album for me is “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” a song that is just barely over two minutes but manages to fit in more hooks than many pop albums. The production is exciting and uplifting from the start of the song, as layered synths hide behind a booming four-on-the-floor bass drum. Bladee’s vocals come in with a melody that is equal parts wondrous and wistful, and Ecco2k’s chorus is spare but impressively moving, given that the lyrics are nearly unintelligible and borderline meaningless. In my opinion, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” is a perfect pop song and the best Drain Gang song to date, by far.
After “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” Crest closes out with “Heaven Sings”, a ballad that, while not the album’s strongest track, is an emotional end to the concise project. As someone who hasn’t always loved Drain Gang’s music in the past, I am so happy that they are fully embracing their pop tendencies now and making their own unique version of catchy synth-pop. If they continue in this direction and receive more mainstream attention, I would not be surprised at all if Drain Gang lands a top 100 radio hit in the next few years. I cannot wait to see where Bladee and Ecco2k go next.
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