Lil Darkie's Debut Album 'This Does Not Exist' is One of the Most Exciting Things in Music Right Now

Lil Darkie is one of the best new artists I've come across in a very long time. Ever since I saw the little character he uses to portray himself, his image and music has just been constantly on my mind all the time. He’s not somebody that I expected to like whatsoever, as I’m usually fairly skeptical from what remains of the Soundcloud rap era I come across. I have to say though, I very much misjudged this guy. He’s got such a dedicated and striking aesthetic and art style that’s not only unique but really impressive. Whether it’s due to his music, the little cartoon character that represents it or both - I find myself really connecting with this dude in strange ways. He shrouds the intelligence and well thought-out artistry his music contains within a veil of noisy, distorted production abrasive edginess. However, that deeper side to his music will certainly reveal itself to anyone who wants to dig for it, and because of that this guy is shaping up to be one of the most interesting, diverse and rewarding artists in the game.

First things first, I absolutely love the aesthetic and sound of this record, but not just in reference to the stylistic features and sound. This sounds like a 1950’s cartoon villain was teleported into modern day and discovered hard drugs and $uicideboy$. Something about this radiates such sinister energy from within every single track, exuding creativity and all-encompassing darkness throughout. This genuinely feels like you’re listening to an album made by that strange little character he uses as the face of his music within all of his cartoony artwork. It kind of reminds me of Vault Boy from the Fallout franchise with the way he puts that character into so many vibrant and memorable scenarios within his album art. Furthermore, the way the artwork alternates from being wacky and fun (Make a Militia) to being as terrifying and unsettling as this record just makes this not only more engaging but more believable. There are so many sides to Lil Darkie as both an artist and a person, and I still have no idea what he even looks like. The music on here shapeshifts the same way the character does, constantly changing back and forth from atmospheric and vibey to intense and angry instantly. There are songs here that are super laid back and mellow, and songs that are just straight up Noise Punk. There’s tracks that are straightforward Hip-Hop and tracks with an evil, villainous sound to them that’s simultaneously sinister and full of tongue-in-cheek swagger. Darkie as a character is an incredibly eclectic cartoon, capable of making you feel warm and fuzzy inside just to switch it up and leave you feeling paranoid and alone. Because of the way the record continuously paves its way through all these scatterbrained emotional tangents, it feels like it treats your emotions as a palette that it freely smears all over it’s Trap canvas in so many ways. It’s kind of like the album cover is, messy and painful but also creative and kind of beautiful.

Lil Darkie as a performer really aces this record as well, showcasing that he’s capable of so many different styles and proving himself as someone who’s much more than just a gimmick. Trust me, I would not be so head over heels for this album if all it had going for it was some cool animated artwork. Darkie proves that he’s an interesting lyricist, stylish MC and incredibly heartfelt vocalist throughout every single one of these songs. The lyrics on this album are an element that changes up just as often as the mood of it does. He writes his words perfectly to match all those styles I mentioned beforehand. He relies on introspection and emotional resonance on songs like Composition XI and spitting abrasive Horrorcore bars with menacing Trap bangers like Good Mourning!. He also showcases a sharp sense of humor on tracks like I Am Addicted To Drugs and Tired of It, which just makes his persona all the more endearing despite how scary it can get. His cadence and flow on all these hard hitting tracks is super hard-hitting and punchy as well, even if I can see why it might be a little bit hard to get into. The compression on his vocals feels like an intentional harshness that pays off to me, but it’s certainly not going to be for everyone. Regardless of how his voice sounds though, his charisma and energy carries the record from start to finish and continues to sell how cartoonish and hyperbolized the entire project feels. His singing on tracks like the aforementioned Composition XI is very emotive and touching as well, emphasizing soul-ripping lines like “The beauty we forget and can't express/The lesson I learn every time I stress/I confess, I don't know what is best”. Everything about his performance is just keeping me hooked on here, as the guy is just so undeniably versatile and nails every single second of this record.

The production on here is the one thing that I think everybody should at the very least respect, even if music this edgy and ridiculous isn’t your cup of tea. Speaking of versatility, the instrumentals on this album cover so many genres and atmospheres while still maintaining a sense of cohesion and unity. Songs like Composition III in Red, White and Black feature some of the hardest hitting, glitchiest and most corrosive Soundcloud Trap beats I’ve heard in ages, maybe ever. The distorted mess of the bass and progressive nature of the constant beat switches make for something that’s noisy and shifty enough to keep even someone with severe short term memory less invested. Sharing that noisy style, there’s a lot of Noise Rock and Punk stuff going on here, most notably on the opener Rap Music and the absurdly heavy I Am Gonna Stop Doing Drugs. Darkie’s sadistic lyrics about addiction on that former track cut right under my skin, and they’re only reinforced by the noisy, fuzzy and destructive guitars and drums. The compression being raised through the roof also raises my heartbeat through the roof, making for a musical concoction that is going to get you a noise complaint every time you play it. This album sounds amazing when it slows down to, and one of the greatest highlight tracks Composition XI is a perfect example of that. The beat on that is so tasteful and groovy, instantly putting me into a trance every time I hear it. This album is capable of being so intense it’s genuinely scary and also being hypnotizingly peaceful, switching between the two (and everything in between) within seconds. It’s incredible how all of this is strung together so well without many hiccups at all, as everything just sounds so different and extreme all the time that you’d think it would start to wear away at your head eventually. Miraculously, it doesn’t.

I’m genuinely in love with this record. Trust me, I can totally see why this is not the kind of music most people could get behind, but I just don’t care. I love everything about how edgy and downright insane this thing is. It’s violent and doesn’t care what you think about it whatsoever. Lil Darkie seems like the kind of artist that could never care about what others think about him even if he tried, and I respect him so much for that. He’s the epitome of a guy doing exactly what he wants within his music and his art solely because he wants to do so. I love how reckless and off the wall this album is, and I love the cartoon villain persona that Darkie has crafted it all from behind. This thing is one of the most creative records I’ve heard in a really long time, and whether or not it gets critical praise (or even attention) is not going to detract from that in the slightest as far as I’m concerned. This is the kind of music that’s always going to be a misfit, separated from the norm and appreciated by a cult following that sees just how chaotically gorgeous it really is. Don’t get me wrong, it’s 100% fine to dislike this because I’m probably the weird one, but don’t think me recognizing that music is subjective makes me think this is anything less than pure genius. This Does Not Exist is undoubtedly going to land Lil Darkie a spot amongst my favorite records of the year with it’s reckless creativity. It’s a certain mixture between gorgeous and insane that’s keeping me addicted. - 9.2/10 (Best Songs - Composition III in Red, White and Black, I Am Addicted to Drugs and Tired of It, Composition XI)