Jelani Rose is doing his part to keep darkwave-soaked post-punk burning in Atlanta, and his latest single, “Freak,“ is a transfixing testament to that endeavor. After releasing a handful of singles in 2023, he’s made strides to ensure this year will be a breakout one, every new track igniting fervor on social media as more and more people find themselves absorbed into his moodily manic sonic worlds.
Like so many fledgling artists, Rose has used TikTok as a means of cutting through the saturated digital noise to find his audience. If you find your blistering inner angst rumbles in tandem with tracks like “Will U Be There When I Crash” or “Six of Swords,” then there’s a good chance you’re exactly who he’s been looking for. “Goth and darkwave is alive and thrivin,” Rose announced on TikTok as various generations of goths voiced their approval.
With intoxicating melodrama, synced to electro-beaming melodies and pulsating drum machines, Jelani Rose sprints through intoxicating heartache, self-destructive spirals, and romantic confrontations, offering a vaporizing catharsis that’s owed as much to his unapologetically blunt openness. Unfiltered and raw, Rose answers the various daggers in his heart and back with an equally sharp tongue.
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His latest single, “Freak,” struggles against the frustrating cycles of an on-again, off-again relationship. The track’s warp-speed tempo heightens the thrills and chills offered by its throbbing soundscape. Launching you through one of Rose’s most entrancing releases to date, his vocals reveal themselves as a formidable lightning rod for all that angsty yearning and chaotic ennui.
With influences that range from Nirvana and Mac Miller, his music speaks to the hypnotic allure and intoxicatingly turbulent atmospheres that border the realms of punk and moody electronica. Rose might only have a dozen or so tracks out right now, but we expect this guy to blow up the moment he drops a debut EP or album.
If you’re a fan of the propulsive, hyper-kinetic meldings found in Genesis Owusu or Kid Cudi — you’ve just found your next fixation.
Words: Steven Ward
Visit Jelani Rose on his Instagram and TikTok to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
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