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Daily Discovery is a feature that will highlight a new or recently discovered artist that we’re excited about. See the rest of our Daily Discoveries here.
As our civilization accelerates towards its inevitable end, it seems that immediacy is more important than ever. The enigmatic Appleby makes it clear he’s aware of this with the title of his debut track alone: “Spit On Me.” There’s an almost broken cry for help in his first track, and the stark bluntness of its title is just one part of that. It’s not a track that boasts about its personality, instead focusing on self-hatred in a way anyone growing up in modern culture can understand and relate to. Similar to The Weeknd without the dead-eyed predatorial hatred, Appleby expresses his genuine desires and fears startlingly bare.
With a surreal and grounded relatability at the core of his music, Appleby makes no claims to be anything but a fresh-faced 23-year-old from Illinois. In the humble email in which he reached out to us, he said “creating music became a diary of sorts for me to say unfiltered things about myself and surroundings.” Even from the small amount of material he’s released so far, it’s easy to tell that his music acts as a therapeutic release of sorts. There’s a deep frustration that manifests itself at times, but at no point does this present itself as ugly.
I’ve sort of been mad for a very long time but I’m great at masking my frustrations. It always ate away at me when I would be alone and I’m an only child so you can imagine how frequently I’d self reflect.
With his production provided by the likes of Spooky Black and Bones collaborator Kid HNRK, Appleby works within a familiar and timely aesthetic, but melds it to his own doing. Like unfiltered bursts of thoughts, his lyrics sit atop these disconsolate tracks perfectly. “I actually found Kid HNRK because of Spooky Black, whom I became a big fan of just seconds after listening to ‘Without U.'” In just under two months, he’s amassed an impressive collection of talented producers willing to contribute to his growing output. Alongside the producers from the loose SESH collective, he’s been working on an EP with one of the most exciting new artists of the year: Poter Elvinger.
It’s a thrilling and fast-moving trajectory seldom seen, even in this accelerated culture. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see even bigger collaborations not too far down the line, especially considering the speed at which he’s going now. “Everything sort of feels big for me,” he humbly says, as if he didn’t expect such rapid growth. After he sent “Spit On Me” to Kid HNRK for his approval and blessing, HNRK sent the track to the rest of the SESH collective because he was so impressed; “they didn’t have to welcome me with open arms but they did and now here we are.”
There’s a sense of discovery in his output thus far, with dabbles in rapping to accompany his signature softly sung vocals. He acknowledges he doesn’t know particularly where he’s headed next, but he believes that singing will remain his focus with his music. “To me I enjoy the melodies more than anything right now and I don’t have the rap persona to entertain people with bars for three minutes.”
With his newest track, “Rounded Edge,” he says he views it as a “structured teaser,” mostly because it’s just shy of two minutes. “I hope to leave the listener wanting more.” It’s fun to learn who he really is as he does. Listen to the premiere of “Rounded Edge” below, and look out for more from Appleby soon.
