Baauer was supposed to released his new album PLANET’S MAD on June 5, but as the title foretold, the planet went fucking mad, George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis police department, the people took to the streets and the idea of releasing an album like this didn’t seem right. He delayed it two weeks and it is out now on Juneteenth with the goal of raising money for Black Lives Matter, the NAACP and other related causes, which you can see at the bottom of the post.
Baauer’s journey over the last decade began with one of the first truly viral singles of the streaming era — “Harlem Shake” that featured videos of groups of people gyrating in a seizure-like manner to his track, which is how many white people dance anyway. There was no real way to follow that level of random success, but he tried with his 2016 album AA, where he collaborated with the likes of Pusha-T, Future, G-Dragon, M.I A. and others on a bombastic trap-heavy LP.
He is often pretty quiet on the release front between albums, but now he is back with PLANET’s MAD and there is nothing quiet about this one. It is a little strange to have such a loud record come out with live music at a standstill (over priced car raves and half full club set super spreader events do not count). However, if there was an album that sounds like what a big ass rave in a field would be, PLANET’S MAD is it. The maximalist production with booming drums, grinding synths, guitars and echoing fx make this perfect for throwing yourself off of various couches, beds and walls.
It often enjoys moments of pure chaos like the heavy, big room techno on “HOT 44” or the tribal drums on “YEHOO” that fit the visuals on the full album movie released yesterday where an alien planet came to earth and took over ours. It was a chaotic merger, but the soundtrack fit just what happened.
Listen to the album now via LuckyMe, imagine your own festival and maybe it will be next summer. Get a copy on Bandcamp, or other digital stores and support the causes below.
BRAVE SPACE ALLIANCE
MY BLOCK MY HOOD MY CITY
COLIN KAEPERNICK’S KNOW YOUR RIGHTS LEGAL DEFENSE INITIATIVE
BLACK LIVES MATTER
NAACP
ACLU
COLOR OF CHANGE
FAIR FIGHT
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
RECLAIM THE BLOCK
