Song You Need: Alex G’s “Blessing” is a head dive into ’90s rock
The new single from Alex G is, as expected, a radical left-turn.
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From the spare bedroom folk of DSU to the haunted Americana of Rocket and hushed instrumentals of this year’s We’re All Going To The World’s Fair soundtrack, each new record from Alex G tends to offer something of a radical left turn from what came before. No matter where the Philly underground icon goes, though, you can always tell when you’re listening to an Alex G song.
Until now, that is. “Blessing”, a new track released alongside announcement of a forthcoming North American tour, offers a grimier, harsher version of what we’ve come to expect from Alex Giannascoli. Beginning with a blast of harsh noise and eventually opening up into a clanking industrial rock song, “Blessing” is a remarkable departure from the rest of the Alex G canon, a darkly-toned dirge that makes explicit the roiling intensity that underpins so many more of Giannascoli’s songs. It’s a little ridiculous, but it’s hard to look away — a full-blown transformation that, somehow, makes perfect sense.