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Classic Album Review

Soundbites: “Cult Hymns” – JIIN

JIIN is something of a digital wraith.

All I can find on this man is that he’s from Toronto. And that’s from a VICE interview from 2015.

He’s only got a few projects out, most of which are singles, but there is one that is very special: his 2015 EP, called “Cult Hymns.”

I originally found “Cult Hymns” in 2021, if memory serves, and it was sticky limerence at first listen. I remember I first became enamored with the concept of digital dystopia then (you know when you spend so much time being afraid of something, how it starts to become comforting?) as I was just about drowning in literature about class struggles and rotting social structures, transhumanist visual culture and desolate electronic ambience.

So, “Cult Hymns” was a perfect addition to that arsenal.

There are seven tracks, two of which feature R&B artist Daniel Caesar. The first track, “Brothers,” starts the EP off in unsettled whispers and a sustained synth that sounds a bit like a siren. They trickle off into flickers that, to me, seem to resemble city lights reflected in a polluted body of water.

In that VICE interview I mentioned, JIIN talks about being inspired by “The Sword of Doom,” a samurai movie from 1966 and “Akira,” the 1988 Japanese cyberpunk film, among other things. “Every time I watch something, I automatically soundtrack it in my mind, and vice versa. It can be a voice note or a weird thing I watched years ago. Probably why I can never sleep,” he says.

The next track on the EP is “Cult Logic,” a song that sounds like it would be played when the world ends; a thoughtful “Congratulations, it was all for nothing!” The song is disturbingly upbeat for its premise and speaks of feeling trapped in something, presumably a messy love whose time is up:

Eyes in paradise falls
One more rock for the mockingbird call
The sun rises up for me
Isn't what you showed to me
Let the water wash away your sin

The third song on the EP, “F***ed Up,” features Daniel Caesar. On it, Caesar lazily sings about being alone once more, getting caught up in women, work, and drugs to fill the void of a lost lover. JIIN’s production makes the intro to this one promising, but I’m honestly not the biggest fan of Caesar’s vocals against the music.

The fourth track, “Bury Me in Money,” is a fuzzy pool of chants and bass that throbs like a headache. After it is “Pole Dancer,” which bears samples of a koto and a synth so distorted it sounds like a scream. Both tracks are instrumental, contributing something a little trashy to this late-stage capitalist nightmare of a soundscape JIIN has created.

The last two tracks on “Cult Hymns” are my personal favorites: “God,” featuring Daniel Caesar and “Fell Thru,” another instrumental.

“God” is so eerie and suffocating at times; Caesar sings about succumbing to isolation as “Cult Hymns” comes to a climax. It sounds like a breaking point as he begs for affection. Bestrewed throughout the song is classic symptoms of madness: sounds of furious scribbles and pages being torn from a book. Makes you feel like you’re right there with him.

Then lastly, but definitely not least, is “Fell Thru.”

This song is a wasteland. It’s barren and beautiful, and I save it for the quietest hours of the night. I find something about it so tender, in the midst of its empty space and crumbling architecture. It’s unclear what’s being sung, but it sounds both like a “thank you” and a “goodbye.” It’s been a soundtrack to many a late night over the years, and I’m so glad to have unearthed it again.

Perhaps knowing so little about JIIN and his intentions for his work is what makes “Cult Hymns” such a treat. It allows you to make sense of the bleakness for yourself, deciding what each of the songs could be about, if at all; it’s equally nice to sit with it for what it is, too, letting the abyss do the talking.

love & disco & desolation,

dirty chai <3

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Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 1/14/25

Chainsaw Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1DECEASEDChildren of the MorgueHells Headbangers
2BLACK CURSEBurning in Celestial PoisonSepulchral Voice
3IRONFLAMEKingdom Torn AsunderHigh Roller
4SPITEThe Third TempleInvictus
5BLIND GIRLSAn Exit ExistsPersistent Vision
6HIGH ON FIRECometh The StormMNRK
7DEMON BITCHMaster of the GamesCruz del Sur
8COFFIN CURSEThe Continuous NothingMemento Mori
9MAYHEMICTobaSepulcharal Voice
10THOUUmbilicalSacred Bones

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Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 1/14/25

Afterhours Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1KINOTEKIThe VisitorLimiting Factor
2E_DEATHAbandon LustSelf-Released
3ღDJ魔女っ娘ミラクるんღMIR4CLEN 5Lost Frog
4SHRIEK AND DETCHIBEPlayOnlineWave Racers Collective
5RIZISound of Feelingfakenumberland
6BUTTERFLY BOYGood TimesSelf-Released
7LIL KEVO 303Toonz From The CryptDEATHBYSHEEP
8DUSQKLoveless Mini Mix [EP]Self-Released
9COSINEVITales From The RainbowlandsTree Critters
10OPTOMETRYLemuriaPalette

Afterhours Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1SHRIEK AND DETCHIBEPlayOnlineWave Racers Collective
2ღDJ魔女っ娘ミラクるんღMIR4CLEN 5Lost Frog
3DUSQKLoveless Mini Mix [EP]Self-Released
4LIL KEVO 303Toonz From The CryptDEATHBYSHEEP
5BUTTERFLY BOYGood TimesSelf-Released
6COSINEVITales From The RainbowlandsTree Critters
7SAINT ETIENNEThe NightHeavenly/PIAS
8OPTOMETRYLemuriaPalette
Categories
Blog

Underground Charts 1/14/25

Underground Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1RITCHIETriple Digits [112]AWAL
2THEE SACRED SOULSGot A Story To TellDaptone
3SEAFOOD SAMStanding On Giant Shouldersdrink sum wtr
4KOKOKOBUTUTransgressive/PIAS
5ALADEAN KHEROUFIStudies In A Dying LoveWe Are Busy Bodies
6LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON“So You Really Don’t Miss Me?” [Single]Lex
7WISEBOY JEREMYPumpkin SeedsEquity
8SGLILY AND EMOTIONALSGenki RockFull Metal
9POTATOHEAD PEOPLEEat Your Heart OutBastard Jazz
10OBONGJAYAR“Just My Luck” b/w “Tomorrow Man” [Single]September

Underground Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1LYRICS BORNGoodbye, Sticky RiceMobile Home
2KURIOUSMajicianRhymesayers/Metalface
3JAE SKEESEGround LevelDrumwork/Equity
4CLIPPING“Change The Channel” [Single]Sub Pop
5MICHIMichi: Knxwledge Remixes [EP]Stones Throw
6ERROL EATS EVERYTHINGNYAM! [EP]Big Chune
7EDDIE CHACON“Let The Devil In” [Single]Stones Throw
8DENZEL CURRYKing Of The Mischievous SouthPH/Loma Vista/Concord
9WAHIDTHEY ALL GO MAD! [EP]Innovative Leisure
Categories
Weekly Charts

Jazz Charts 1/14/25

Jazz Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1OJTGround LevelJazz Daddy
2JEREMY LEDBETTER TRIOGravityCaneFire
3JOE MARCINEK BAND1 River StreetVintage League
4GEOFFREY KEEZERGeoffrey Keezer Live at BirdlandMarKeez
5MICHAEL DEASEGrove’s GrooveLe Coq
6BILL FRISELLOrchestrasBlue Note
7HOT 8 BRASS BAND“Ain’t No Sunshine” [Single]Tru Thoughts
8BUFFALO MONROEMeets Willie WaldmanMetacognitive
9REGINALD CYNTJEGentle TouchSelf-Released
10ENTRE AMIGOSEntre AmigosSelf-Released

Jazz Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1CAMILLE THURMANConfluence, Vol.1: AlhambraEpidote
2ADRIAN YOUNGELinear Labs: Sao PauloLinear Labs
3JOE ELEFANTE’S WHEEL OF DHARMAWheel Of DharmaSelf-Released
Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Charts 1/14/25

Top Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1ERICK THE ARCHITECTI’ve Never Been Here BeforeIDOL
2MADDY KIRGOShadow On My LightGar Hole
3CAKES DA KILLABlack SheepYoung Art
4DEAD POET SOCIETYFISSIONSpinefarm
5HEART TO GOLDFree HelpMemory
6KIM DEALNobody Loves You More4AD
7LOVESEAT PETEAlamoSelf-Released
8MAGDALENA BAYImaginal DiskMom+Pop
9SEAFOOD SAMStanding On Giant Shouldersdrink sum wtr
10AMYL AND THE SNIFFERSCartoon DarknessB2B
11CHUCK STRANGERSA Forsaken Lover’s PleaLex
12CLAN SPRMThe Great American EclipseHumblux
13FAZERDAZESoft Powersection1
14KENNY MASONAngel EyesRCA
15KEVIN HOOKER DIXONration to RationKevWax
16KOKOKOBUTUTransgressive/PIAS
17KYLE MARTUCCILate Night ThaiTooch
18LOVINGAny LightLast Gang/MNRK
19MACHINEDRUM3FOR82Ninja Tune
20MEAN JEANSBlastedFat Wreck Chords
21MILAN RINGMangosAstral People/PIAS
22NANORAYManzaiSelf-Released
23POUTYForgot About MeGet Better
24RITCHIETriple Digits [112]AWAL
25ROSIE TUCKERUtopia Now!Sentimental
26SGLILY AND EMOTIONALSGenki RockFull Metal
27VITESSE XThis Infinitemusic-website
28WISH TRAPS“Lightning Bugs? Fireflies?” [Single]Self-Released
29ALTERNATE LIFE FORCEA.L.F. The Initial Transmissions [EP]Self-Released
30AN ALIEN CALLED HARMONYAn Alien Called Harmony [EP]New Soil

Top Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1MERCURYSwarm The Hive Mind [EP]Big Loud Rock
2JAPANESE BREAKFAST“Orlando In Love” [Single]Dead Oceans/Secretly Group
3YOUTH LAGOON“Speed Freak” [Single]Fat Possum
4SPELLLING“Portrait Of My Heart” [Single]Sacred Bones
5ROTUNDOSRotundosSelf-Released
6HORSEGIRL“Switch Over” [Single]Matador
Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 1/7/25

Chainsaw Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1DEMON BITCHMaster of the GamesGates of Hell
2IOTUNNKinshipMetal Blade
3MITOCHONDRIONVitriseptomeProfound Lore
4GAEREAComaSeason Of Mist
5SPITEThe Third TempleInvictus
6DREAMLESS VEILEvery Limb Of The FloodRelapse
7DEFEATED SANITY“Accelerating The Rot” [Single]Season Of Mist
8RIPPED TO SHREDSSanshiRelapse
9TENUEArcos, B​ó​vedas, P​ó​rticosZegema Beach
10BLOOD INCANTATIONAbsolute ElsewhereCentury Media
Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 1/7/25

Afterhours Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1VYLET PONYGirls Who Are WizardsSelf-Released
2END OF ANGEL CH.2VARIOUS ARTISTSAngel
3HARMONY IN ULTRAVIOLETTangerine​​​/​​​/​​​Citrus​​​/​​​/​​​Yuzu​​​/​​​/​​​Lemon. (Deluxe Edition)Vivarium
4MUDDYOUSH23Self-Released
5WORLD BRAINOpen SourceMansions & Millions
6SHYGIRL“Immaculate” feat. Saweetie [Single]Because
7FLYING LOTUSSpirit Box [EP]Warp
8SBTRKT“Turn Your Heart Around” [Single]Save Yourself
9MARCUS DRAKESave Point 1Sooper
10MACHINE GIRLMG UltraFuture Classic

Afterhours Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1KINOTEKIThe VisitorLimiting Factor
2KANAKO YAMAMOTO“Reason” (Bonobo Rework) [Single]Outlier
3SOULSICKVARIOUS ARTISTSAngels Gun Club
4ULife Isn’t A Fountain?Lex
5PHANTOMSPerpetual Motion [EP]Foreign Family Collective
6E_DEATHAbandon LustSelf-Released
7OKLOU“Choke Enough” [Single]True Panther
8KARYYNKaryyn Remixed [EP]Mute
Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 1/7/25

Underground Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1MALLY AND LAST WORDThe Sweetest Of It AllMaLLy/Last Word Touring
2THEE SACRED SOULSGot A Story To TellDaptone
3VICTORIA PORT“Cigarette” [Single]First Word
4TRANSAVARIOUS ARTISTSRed Hot
5HANNAH STOKES“Waste Time” [Single]Raised Eden
6RAHIM SAMAD“Daylight” [Single]Self-Released
7CUATRO CINCO“2045” [Single]Bendito
87XVETHEGENIUSDeath Of DeuceDrumwork
9LO STEVE“Canal Street Motion” [Single]Self-Released
10LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON“So You Really Don’t Miss Me?” [Single]Lex

Underground Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1MALLY AND LAST WORDThe Sweetest Of It AllMaLLy/Last Word Touring
2THEE SACRED SOULSGot A Story To TellDaptone
3VICTORIA PORT“Cigarette” [Single]First Word
4TRANSAVARIOUS ARTISTSRed Hot
5HANNAH STOKES“Waste Time” [Single]Raised Eden
6RAHIM SAMAD“Daylight” [Single]Self-Released
7CUATRO CINCO“2045” [Single]Bendito
87XVETHEGENIUSDeath Of DeuceDrumwork
9LO STEVE“Canal Street Motion” [Single]Self-Released
10LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON“So You Really Don’t Miss Me?” [Single]Lex
Categories
Blog

Close Encounters of The Locals Only!

What better way to ring in the New Year than with some spectacular local music? Locals Only! returns this Thursday, January 9th at its usual 8 PM timeslot at Neptunes in Raleigh. As always, admission is free for anyone 21+! We have an extra special line up this month so without further ado, lets go ahead and introduce them!

Bedrumor

Hailing from Greenville, this duo has made quite a name for themselves on social media for their intimate covers of popular songs, ranking in almost 3 million likes on their TikTok account alone.

However, their cover roots are only the tip of the iceberg for this group, as their jazz-influenced instrumentation and vocals have recently led to the release of their debut original single “Mother’s Hand.”

The song itself takes all of the best parts of their stripped back covers and charges it with a very palpable melancholy that sticks with you long after you finish listening. Although the duo only has one original track under their belt for the time being, I am very excited to see how their musical style evolves given their very promising start!

Favorite Track: Mother’s Hand

Newspaper Taxis

Hailing right here from Raleigh, Newspaper Taxis have made quite a name for themselves over the past three years they have been active in the Triangle music scene.

By their own admission, Newspaper Taxis’ music defies a singular categorization. As they describe their sound, their music is “A bit of British Invasion, a dash of post-punk, and a little power pop” that all comes together to make a very exciting musical cocktail.

The band has two albums under their belt, with their most recent being something we here at WKNC are always fond of, a live album! Although it didn’t quite beat out one of their other offerings for my favorite track, the live recording of Your Cowboy shows off lead vocalist Ben Armstrong’s crooning vocals mixed with some tastefully retro instrumentation that Locals Only! attendees are sure to enjoy.

Favorite Track: Digging A Hole

Closing Thoughts

If this Locals Only! lineup is any indication, the future looks bright for North Carolina’s blossoming music scene as this night is sure to have something for everyone. As always, doors open at 8 PM at Neptunes in Raleigh. I hope to see you there!