George Clanton Returns From Hiatus With Psychedelic New Album “Ooh Rap I Ya”
Photo: Alex Bush
The wait is finally over. This week vaporwave icon George Clanton returns with his third studio album Ooh Rap I Ya, his first solo project since his groundbreaking 2018 release Slide. One of the year’s most anticipated records, Ooh Rap I Ya feels like much more than just a homecoming for one of modern music’s most unsung heroes; it feels like a reintroduction into a psychedelic and transcendental world crafted with meticulous care. Synthesizing elements of adult contemporary, dream pop, and vaporwave, Ooh Rap I Ya is a record that is just as timeless as it is boundary-pushing, a nine-track epic born from an artist always a few steps ahead of his peers.
Self-described as "subjectively beautiful", Ooh Rap I Ya sees Clanton at his creative peak, flexing his signature retro-futuristic sound with near-unparalleled candor and sophistication. From the cathartic explosiveness of the album single “I Been Young” to the hypnotic and Hatchie-assisted closer “For You, I Will”, Clanton’s latest release is a love letter to existential uncertainty, self-reflection, and love itself. Though Ooh Rap I Ya is a project that boldly ventures into uncharted sonic territory, it still manages to speak not from the heart but from the soul. Alien soundscapes serve as the perfect foundation for Clanton to communicate a near-universal human experience, anxieties about “fucking up [his] life” and the desire to “take a leap and start all over. ”The result? A captivating record that was more than worth the wait, spotlighting a new and evolved sound that is sure to leave fans ravenous for more.
It feels like a lifetime has passed since the release of Slide five years ago, and between getting married, earning a coveted Frank Ocean Blonded Radio co-sign, and throwing multiple sold-out vaporwave music festivals, I’m sure Clanton would agree. Luckily, Ooh Rap I Ya feels like Clanton never left, instead opting to lie fallow in creative hibernation while fans slowly went insane waiting for a third solo LP. Luckily for them, the album is not only out now, but they can also catch Clanton on tour with Frost Children and deaths dynamic shroud this fall.
Listen to Ooh Rap I Ya below:
