Ybenfy? – People Are Horrible…

Ybenfy? – People Are Horrible… – Album Review

Alright…just so everyone is on the same page today, we’ve got “a new artist just having fun” in the mix here, and I’ve had this album for a shorter time span than I tend to have most – so take everything you read here with the ol’ proverbial grain of salt y’all.  These opinions are basically first impressions really.

The main question in a situation like this always becomes about whether or not there’s anything here that is worth continuing to pursue and whether or not there’s something that can be built upon.  It’s not typical stuff, that much is obvious with pushing play & hearing “Hate You” start the record with its deep set & distant vocals.  Just because you’re doing things differently than the rest is never a reason to stop doing anything as far as I’m concerned…I mean, hell, we’re pretty much the home for the anti-typical!  Ybenfy? creates an engaging gateway in through “Hate You” and how extremely different it really is.  I’m well aware of the niche sound he’s working with here and the narrow slice of the potential listening audience that exists for tunes that would be found in the experimental section…but at the same time, I hope you folks out there will give this a spin, because you probably haven’t heard all that much like it, ever.  Musically, there are some remarkable building blocks here…like, for real, there are some genius level moves being made there specifically.  Vocally, Ybenfy? has things set so deep in the mix that it’s fairly unlikely you’ll be able to pick out more than a few words at best on your first couple spins through it, at least outside of the main hooks, but there’s definitely something unique that piques my curiosity here.  I also love the juxtaposition between such a calming style of sound that comes fully equipped and armed with such a harsh message – “I fuckin’ hate you too.”  All I know for certain at the start, is that once “Hate You” reaches the 2:30 mark & makes that killer transition…I’m definitely hooked & listening.

So…vocally, Ybenfy? has got some substantial decisions to make ahead.  On a personal level, I never have any problems whatsoever in listening to music where the vocals are inaudible, pummeled by effects, or set into the sound so deep that you can only ever make out a couple words per spin – I think you can actually do some really cool things with that kind of approach and have heard tons of examples throughout the years.  From indie acts like Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, to more mainstream examples like what’s happening in Dope Lemon right now, you can find all kinds of cool shit happening out there in the scene where the vocals aren’t always the dominant part of the mix.  A track like “Where’s Holly” puts Ybenfy? closer to something you’d find in Tricky’s catalog, crossed with a healthy dose of Shoegaze I’d say…and yep, that’s enticing to me once again.  The focus is more on the art and the experience, rather than creating you something you can sing along with, you feel me?  There’s a noticeably poetic & creative aspect of Ybenfy?’s music, and though that kind of combination is always a tough sell to the masses, those that like something different in the underground will be highly interested in what they find here.  As for the effort Ybenfy? is putting in…that’s where the decisions matter most.  Is he supposed to continue to add in all these words if we can’t really hear them?  Should he add clarity to the list of priorities to enhance that aspect of his music?  I’m gonna go out on a limb here and tell you that we should probably just let the man cook for now…I don’t even think Ybenfy? really knows exactly where the music of Ybenfy? will take him…yet…so let’s see where his natural instincts take him.  You don’t want to steer creative artists like this too much, because it’s the uniqueness of people like this that tend to discover strange breakthroughs in the craft that most would never be capable of discovering.

Yeah…don’t get me wrong, I’m usually advocating on behalf of clarity, especially in situations where you do have an artist like Ybenfy? that clearly has a lot to say and is taking the time with the lyricism.  That being said, it sounds like he’s already made peace with the direction he wants to take, and if he wants to go in a less audible direction, it simply makes the vocals more like an accent instrument.  I listen to tracks like “Kerosene” and never feel like I need to catch each and every word…I think you’ll get more than enough to hear Ybenfy?’s organic thoughts, his social commentary, and even his political stance if you’re paying close attention.  The real bottom line for me is that he’s doing things differently than the rest are…and while it’s true that always going to result in a narrower slice of the pie when it comes to potential listeners out there, the creative freedom you have in return is absolutely fucking GLORIOUS.  Ybenfy? is entirely free to do or say whatever he wants to, and as long as he’s cool with the fact that there is a very small fraction of the people out there what would catch every word in the mix, then there’s no harm, no foul, right?  I love what he’s got going on with “Kerosene” and feel like he continues to excel at creating material that keeps us engaged on a multi-dimensional level we’re not expecting to find.  As in, it’s pretty much a freakin’ joy to listen to these tunes, because you’ll hear something new in them with each spin you take.  All very similar to how Tricky’s music works from my perspective, but that’s just about the best company you can be keeping as far as I’m concerned too…dude’s a real artist.

Some artists are simply ahead of their time…not much else to it than that.  I’m know Tricky was.  Artists like Zetroc in the underground scene are currently.  You can compromise your vision, or you can bend it to be more accessible to the mainstream…these are options…but I highly recommend staying the course Ybenfy?.  Maybe people get it at first, maybe they don’t…honestly, who cares about WHEN they catch on?  If you’re staying true to yourself and making the music that YOU wanna make, the listeners will eventually track you down…you just gotta be comfortable with being patient is all.  “Incomparable” is a solid cut that speaks on similarities and differences…as well as our natural tendency for comparison.  Guilty as charged y’all…unfortunately, we critics are always comparing apples to oranges…largely because we’re uninventive and unimaginative in what we write, but also because it’s a very human thing to do.  I’m cool with everything I’m hearing from Ybenfy? though…to be clear, there are few comparisons you could really make to what this dude is doing, because it genuinely is that unique.  The authenticity and artistic way these songs move is ridiculously enticing to me.  It’s all as unpredictable as I’ve ever heard someone be in music, and the value of surprise in that regard, is straight-up priceless.  Do I expect everyone out there to get Ybenfy?’s music?  Fuck no!  You crazy?  The average everyday listener isn’t ready for this.  Ybenfy? is “Incomparable” and clearly built differently than the rest of you.

Here’s the case I’d make AGAINST clarity – “Bleed.”  After you have had a listen for yourself, did you end up feeling like having better access to Ybenfy?’s vocals and lyrics necessarily made the experience have more of an impact?  While I’m usually found on the opposite side of the argument, this time around, I’d tell you no…it actually didn’t.  There’s no doubt that Ybenfy? has substantial things to say, and I appreciate that…all I’m saying is that you should probably notice the fact that the opening four tracks probably held your attention equally as strong as “Bleed” did, if not stronger…and you barely knew what one word was from the next in most cases.  Each song we write, each album we create…they all have different priorities, and they expose different things as a result.  In the case of “Bleed,” we can hear a bit of awkwardness in the vocals & lyrics as Ybenfy? attempts to adhere to the metering & pace the words need – and you don’t hear that kind of stuff as much when you’re masked more within the music like he was in the first four tracks on People Are Horrible….  He’s definitely got a couple extra syllables in his bars here and there, and you can hear in “Bleed” that they’re just on the edge of tripping him up as he spits them.  Ybenfy? knows exactly what they are and where they’re found in this song, because he quite likely had to do’em a few times in order to get’em to come out as right as they are now…and as a new artist, that should be your first red flag that something needs a bit of a rewrite.  The majority of “Bleed” is intact and flows fluidly…so go back and eradicate all the parts that prevent that smoothness you wanna find in the words, because that’s the kind of quirk in a track that every set of ears notice, even yours Ybenfy?.  As I tell people all the time, it’s not the perfect 95% you’ll notice when you go back to your material later on down the road – it’ll always be the 5% you could have done better, every time.

“Nikki Rich,” if I’m not mistaken, takes a decent of a shot at Instagram culture & the influencer lifestyle.  I could be wrong…again, take it with the ol’ grain of salt I recommended at the very start…I’m just trying to decode these tunes for myself here as well, with little more experience than you’d have if you pushed play right now.  Subject-wise, I’m sure you could argue that “Nikki Rich” and any of these tunes are about much more than any singular thing, which is fair.  What I like about “Nikki Rich” and what I’m sure of, is that the added clarity and personality in Ybenfy?’s vocals plays to his advantage here.  I also love the fact that the music has consistently been incredible to listen to…like, you just rarely ever stumble across ideas that are this proud to be as different as they are, and it’s relentlessly addictive to listen to a level of artistic confidence like this.  Where everyone out there tends to be overly cautious, Ybenfy? is like, yooooooo, I’m new here, and I’m ready to do things the way that I do them, nothing more, nothing less.  There’s something genuinely refreshing about that if you ask me, and it’s made People Are Horrible… a much more engaging listening experience than anyone might assume at first.  Tracks like “Nikki Rich” are going to be the ones that sneak up on you…you’ll realize that the more you listen to them, the more you’ll get out of them as you piece together the puzzle of Ybenfy’s words over time.  In the grand scheme of things, there’s tremendous value in that approach, because each time you spin any one of these tunes, you’re probably listening to it from a whole different angle, getting something new out of it all over again.  Not much music out there works that way…so trust me, enjoy it when you find it.

SHOUT-OUTS to “Omeprazole!”  Of all things I probably would have thought to never hear a song written about, “Omeprazole” is definitely one of’em.  Don’t know what it is?  Count yourself amongst the lucky then…because those of us that know what it is probably wish that we never did.  As a person that experienced stomach issues and acid reflux situations of all kinds for more than a decade straight, I’ll tell ya right now, I couldn’t have completed the most basic of tasks without my trusty bottle of “Omeprazole” by my side.  Anyhow.  As a song…it’s alright.  I’m not here to tell ya that everything that Ybenfy? creates is an unequivocal homerun, because that’s practically never the case no matter who you are.  There is a bunch of compelling sound at work floating through the atmosphere of this track, and most of the words seem to be a good fit here.  That being said, some of the lyricism seems to be less serious or feels out of place here, some of the vocal tones color a bit too far outside of the lines for my taste, and the metering once again proves to be a bit of an issue at certain points along the way.  In any event, if you’ve ever reached for the “Omeprazole” so that you could simply fucking FUNCTION in a day, your anthem has finally arrived.  Why shouldn’t the content be every bit as niche as the sound is overall?

I dig the depths that you immediately plunge into with the low-end sound of “Regrets,” and I like the way that Ybenfy? punches through when the vocals start up.  I recognize how challenging music like this would be to the masses…hopefully I’m not breaking news to the man behind the microphone when it comes to this…what Ybenfy? is making ain’t gonna be for everybody.  Hell, it ain’t even going to be for the majority of folks out there – but that’s alright, depending on what the goals are of course.  I don’t get the sense that Ybenfy? is creating songs like “Regrets” to bring home the Grammy awards though.  This dude is one for the artistic crowd…the freaks and the geeks that are proud to be built different than the rest are…the whole point of making music like this is to not just be doing what the rest already have.  So…like any attempts to break new ground, there are moments of profound greatness, and there are going to be moments that miss the mark by a fair margin…it’s a live by the sword and die by the sword type of scenario.  I have no illusions when it comes to the marketability of an album like this, and neither should he – I’m sure Ybenfy? is well aware of how unique his whole vibe is, but at the end of the day, the kinds of moves he’s making with his music are precisely what lead to a highly dedicated fan-base.  In a way, I’d probably argue there’s a little less of a song in something like “Regrets” than some of the other tunes by comparison – it’s more like creating freeform art without limitations, guidelines or rules.  Ain’t no harm in going that route…hell, I’d encourage it!  Just don’t go getting too lofty with the hopes or expectations for how many people outside the creative realm have time for this stuff, because they don’t.  If that makes me the bad guy for pointing that out, so be it…I’m not here to pump anyone’s tires, I’m just here to lay out what the objective reality is based on whatever it is that I’m listening to, full stop.

“I obviously wasn’t built for this,” he’ll claim on “86” – and I’d probably tell you the opposite…I think he is.  Do I think he was built for the existing framework of the music business, or that he’s capable of catering to the people out there looking for verse/chorus/verse tunes?  Hell no!  So…yeah…I mean, he’ll have to figure out what battle he wants to fight in that regard, but I think the most dedicated creative types out there are way more content to toil in obscurity than to compromise their vision just to suit the mainstream.  I don’t mind “86” – it’s actually kind of a neat track if you’re asking me about my personal opinion on it.  Do I think it pushes the album forward?  I think that’s a much tougher argument to make.  As far as I know, People Are Horrible… is Ybenfy?’s first record, so give the man some space.  It takes a long time to master the art of making an album, and even longer to know what belongs on the cutting room floor in the realm of Experimental music…so if you get the occasional moment like “86” that doesn’t feel like it’s doing too much of anything really, that’s just gonna happen every once in a while at the start of any career.  Like I said, it ain’t a bad track, but it ain’t a great one either.  I think the main thing is that moments like this will teach Ybenfy? greatly on how tough it can be to fill a whole set-list on a record in a way that’ll keep people listening, and it’ll help him refine his own craft as he goes forward from here.  At a tiny 2:14 in length, it’s not like “86” is completely inconsequential.  If you’re doing things right as an artist, you’ll find you end up learning just as much from what works as what doesn’t.

What makes a life worth living?  What makes someone’s word worth following?  “4am” contemplates a lot of things we can relate to and think about ourselves.  Hooks-wise, I think this one lost me a little bit.  In fact, I had many spins through “4am” where I felt like it made a much stronger case for “86” belonging to this lineup than the previous song itself did.  I’d probably have cut “4am” if I’m being real with ya…it has pieces that are strong and it has potential too, but I was less convinced that this one was completely ready.  It’s a tough back-to-back pinch point on the record where the material seems to feel like it bottlenecks for a second or two…you’ve got “86,” which practically feels like it’s freestyled in the moment, and then you’ve got “4am” which sounds like someone scrambling to make sense of the thoughts that have been keeping them up at night.  As a result, “4am” feels like it’s wandering a bit in search of its ideas, rather than going into the recording absolutely sure of where Ybenfy? wants to go with it.  “Every prophet was a fake since Jesus,” he says…and of course, I’d tell ya that’s a pretty generous assessment as a person far outside of the religious realm.  Still, he makes some pretty damn good points about those out there that would use His name to their own benefit.  As much as I might feel the metering of his opening verse is nowhere near where it needs to be in terms of its fluidity and flow, what Ybenfy? is saying in calling out those that would exploit religion for their own personal gain is entirely on-point.  But yeah man…if you feel like a line or two is a full-on mouthful to get out when you’re recording a song, again, that’s the red flag you need to sharpen your pencil, do a rewrite, and get back in the booth to do it even better.  New to the game or not, you know where those spots in a song exist – the only difference is that when you’re new, you don’t realize you never have to settle for your own mediocrity when/if those moments show up in your music.  But it’s true – you don’t.  If you don’t have a label poking you in the ribs to get your album out yesterday, then take your time, listen to the finished tracks as objectively as possible, and if something you hear doesn’t feel like it completely works, remember that you have all the time in the world to get back into the booth and polish everything up.

Records that would likely be categorized as Experimental also tend to run longer than the public can typically handle.  Again, just objective reality.  Think of it in the same way that when you get a whole lot of new information thrown at you, the more that you get makes it become tougher to absorb.  Music follows the same logic – it’s technically new information to your brain when everything sounds different than what you’re normally accustomed to listening to, and it can wear people out a bit on those first spins.  Sticking with things can lead to some outright magical results though…and even though I’ve had this album for only a short time myself, I can recognize that there’s something well worth paying close attention to here in what Ybenfy? is creating.  In the long run, what we’re hearing now on People Are Horrible… might prove to be the seed of an even bigger idea, concept, or straight-up artistic movement – and there’s something exciting about hearing something like that in its beginning stages, wouldn’t you say?  Every time I worked my way back around to “Sweet” in this lineup of songs, it was like a mini revelation of its own…like hearing that breakthrough moment you knew Ybenfy? was capable of from the second you started listening.  Don’t get it twisted…I can still only pick out a word or two at points along the way, but I swear, when Ybenfy? wants to be heard in “Sweet,” you’ll hear him just fine.  The rest you’ll catch up to as you continue to listen from here on out.  Right now though, I’m declaring “Sweet” to be the real gem in this lineup…this one’s special.  It’s like a modern-day audio play in its own way, with different acts and such.  Is Ybenfy? the Shakespeare of this era?  You don’t know that he’s not – maybe he is!  Alright, that’s probably a bit much to put on the guy’s shoulders, but rest assured, what he’s doing in “Sweet” is unequivocally artistic, admirably adventurous, and commendably ambitious.  Even just in terms of texture and tone alone, Ybenfy? has concocted this stunningly irresistible sound in “Sweet” that I couldn’t get enough of.  Real poetry in motion happening on this song…this is the kind of art you always hope to discover in music but rarely do.  Even if “Sweet” was the only song we all ended up liking in the set, it would still speak volumes on behalf of what he’s capable of creating in the future.

Okay…so…chills from the music on “King m16,” yes indeed.  You’ll know what I’m talkin’ about once you hit that first incredible switch.  That’s what made the initial impact on me, and I think the music has been outstanding throughout this entire album if I’m being completely real with ya.  “King m16” is merely another checkmark in the win column in that regard…if you’re doubting what I’m saying, wait til you hit the forty-two second mark on this track and I’ll happily accept your apology.  This is a quality idea though…like…absolutely remarkable potential, and the majority of that potential is already realized in this current version as it stands now.  From the outside listening in, I think Ybenfy? just has to be cautious of how other listening ears will hear what he’s doing on the mic.  As in, the metering is part of it once again…I highly recommend staying right on top of that and hacking out a syllable or two to smooth things out.  Even when you’re delivering vocals in a stylistic way, you still have to be cautious about whether or not what you’re doing translates to the listeners out there, or if they’d hear what you’re doing as a mistake…that make sense?  Like, it might be an intentional move being made on the mic, but if person after person after person ended up saying something didn’t seem right about it, then you have to make some sort of an adjustment to win the approval of the general consensus.  I mean, you don’t HAVE to, but in the long run, a whole career is built on a series of back and forths…trying this thing and that thing until you know which thing works best – ain’t no shame in the game y’all…it’s NECESSARY for artistic growth and for evolution.  To me, I think when Ybenfy? slows things down, he’s extraordinarily effective and incredible to listen to…right now, it’s the speed of things that can get the better of him occasionally, and that pesky extra syllable or two in certain lines.  But whatever, that’s all stuff you can adjust, practice, and refine over time – what you can’t teach is ideas, uniqueness, and artistic innovation – and with respect to that, this dude is creating some seriously unforgettable stuff early on into his career.  “King m16” is the kind of track you continue to work on until you’re absolutely certain you’ve gotten every last ounce of its potential onto the recording.  I already love what I hear…it’s got that whole like…cross-cultural, Trip-Hop, Massive Attack-like atmosphere to it at its most melodically intense, and the sound selection in the music of “King m16” is entirely second to none.  Many positives here.  Message-wise, it’s pretty damn bleak – “democracy is spelled with an m16” – but no lies are detected.

There are times where less truly does lead to more…and Ybenfy? will benefit from learning that as time goes on.  When he’s rapping at a slower pace, he’s got the ability and added time required to make sure the lines are equally loaded with personality, confidence, and substance.  When he’s speeding things up, he’s taking that opportunity away from himself to a degree, and forcing himself to move quicker in order to simply keep up to the metering he’s set out.  The answer is to simplify and play to your strengths my friend…that’s all there is to it.  Getting to where you know you want to end up, but in fewer moves.  That might mean a rewrite on a part or two…it might mean recording something in a variety of ways – hell, it might even mean sitting with a recorded version for a month, listening to nothing other than that finished song, and then hitting the studio once more to lay it down again now that you know it all frontwards and backwards.  I listen to “6?” and feel like what I consistently like about Ybenfy?’s music and have throughout the record, that’s all still intact.  The spots where I think he can continue to evolve are still there too…things like the higher speed moments not coming through strongly enough, or how he’s still going to need to find a way to make sure his hooks really hit.  Right now, in this first impression, I’d probably tell you that I’ll remember the name Ybenfy? and his potential more-so than I might any one singular tune, because his songs are largely built in a different way where hooks aren’t really the main priority this time around.  That’s not to say there aren’t any on a track like “6” or the others in the set – there are…but in terms of those hooks really leading to songs that are memorable FOR those hooks, I think there’s still plenty of work to be done.  Make sense?  All in all though, I’m sincerely impressed by how much work Ybenfy? has done on this record, the uniqueness in everything he creates, and the convincing potency of his craft…as in, this dude has what it takes to win listeners over by making a compelling brand of sonic art that doesn’t just dare to be different, it fully highlights its artistic advantages.

Find out more about Ybenfy? at his official page at Instagram here:  https://www.instagram.com/ybenfy_

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