Inspired by everyone from the Purple One to Kendrick Lamar, the maverick star’s bold new album confronts depression and racism
Genesis Owusu’s freaky, funky marvel of a debut album bears the patina of a time-worn fable. Smiling With No Teeth – a 15-track collection of post-punk thrums; synths that scream and sigh; and sometimes crooned, sometimes snarled vocals – is its own world, with a distinct geography, iconography and ideology. And before its creator launches you into it, he handily offers a prologue in the form of new wave-y lead single The Other Black Dog: “A tale of Black dogs with golden leashes … Broken stories, told facetious … Who’s the pet and who’s the teacher?”
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