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Release Control

by MHYSA

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Good Vibe 01:03
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Dessert 02:05

about

At first glance, it might appear that Release Control, the third record from E. Jane's MHYSA alias, contains the most straightforward R&B offerings from the New York-based artist. Shortly after the release of her second album, Nevaeh, in 2020, the advent of the pandemic slowed the world's pace. MHYSA utilized this time to hone her toolbox and embark on an EP that embraced the challenge of traditionalism. Her new EP is framed by vocal devices channeling the likes of American R&B songstresses Summer Walker, SZA, and Ari Lennox. The record is sultry and overwhelmingly dark, shrouded in minor melodies and gravelly minimalism.

But in its intimate moments, Release Control also interrogates the inherent experimentalism that exists within traditional R&B's world-building techniques. The writing process for the EP began in the summer of 2020 when MHYSA moved from Philly to a tree-lined neighborhood in Brooklyn. Her home studio's cozy contours appear to shape innovative R&B landmarks such as slight, chipmunk nursery rhymes, TV crackles, and reverbed declarations on the EP's interludes.

The record ultimately bloomed into a family affair, with fellow New York staples Bapari, Abdu Ali, and her vocal coach Nicholas Ryan Gant contributing to its shadowy soundscape. The end result sees MHYSA at her most musical, shown through her yearning, girlish falsetto on "All Night" and her husky backing vocals on title track "Release Control." The simplicity of the EP's production summons the realist ethos of Southern rap as well as the intimate glitch of the late '10s New York experimental scene that nurtured MHYSA's early sound. This sonic roominess fortifies the record's numerous lyrical punches, like the ones comprising "Dessert" ("Pretty little thot / Burning down ya block /Her girl had a problem / So I told her she could watch"). A crunchy 808 foregrounds the quick-lipped deviance and buttery coos on "Chelsea Gurls," as her vocals swing easily between rap and song. This version of MHYSA is luxuriously venomous, her acerbic raps crafting tracks like "YONCÉ," where she, draped in blonde braids, brags plainly over a stark trap beat. Yeah nigga, the queen has returned!
- Words by Kiana Mickles

credits

released October 6, 2023

MHYSA: Songwriting, production, and vocals on all songs
lawd knows: Production, additional writing on Chelsea Gurls, Good Vibe, All Night, Release Control, Interlude, YONCÉ, and Dessert
Nicholas Ryan Gant: Vocal production and background vocals on All Night and vocal coaching on Chelsea Gurls and Dessert
Willy Boston aka Prince Will: Vocal coaching and writing coaching on Chelsea Gurls and Dessert
Abdu Ali: Vocals on Interlude
Bapari: Additional production on Chelsea Gurls, All Night, and YONCÉ
Mix and Mastering: Russell E.L. Butler
Artwork: Dreamcrusher
Photography: E. Jane

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about

MHYSA Brooklyn, New York

Despite references to mainstream stars like Donna Summer, Prince, Lauryn Hill, and Beyoncé, MHYSA's atmospheric ballads and discordant experimental club tracks have found suitable homes on progressive labels such as NON, Halcyon Veil, and Hyperdub. Among the vocalist/producer's releases are the widely acclaimed Fantasii (2017) and Nevaeh (2020). ... more

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