(Sybaritic Peer) Self-released as a double album, I Feel Safe With You, Trash is exactly the type of unhinged psychedelic pop you would expect to hear from Kevin Barnes after a year of quarantine. Several previous albums have been very forthcoming about musical influences; over the past decade, we’ve heard the R&B-soaked False Priest, ‘70s folk-rock tribute Lousy with Sylvianbriar, EDM-tinged Innocence Reaches and ’80s extended dance-mix-inspired White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood. Written, performed and recorded entirely by Barnes, the musically dense I Feel Safe With You, Trash dips its toes into several different genres, yet remains cohesive through its signature frenetic pop approach. The funky track “Fingerless GlOves” unexpectedly devolves into a metal meltdown, while “Karlheinz ChOp Up Children” pays homage to the German electronic composer Karlheinz Stockhausen through odd percussive loops. Lyrically, the tracks continue delving into a progressively more autobiographical trend—with last year’s album UR FUN largely inspired by partner Christina Schneider of Locate S,1—but their surreal, stream-of-consciousness nature often comes across as more opaque than relatable. Still, there are glimpses behind the curtain, such as the identity contemplations “This is ExpOsed” and “Queer as Love.”
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