Hxlt

Album Review

Previously known as Hollywood Holt, HXLT's debut album lands on Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint and is entirely self-produced aside from "Guitar," which comes courtesy of beatmaker Mano. It's one of the more straight and modern R&B-flavored cuts on an album that revives sparse versions of shoegaze, witch house, trip-hop, and even '90s alternative hip-hop, as the cerebral "Work It Out" brings warm reminders of vanguard act Basehead. "Tonight" is the other odd number out, since the plush highlight could be covered by John Legend, but the artist performs everything here with conviction, be it a no-wave power ballad ("Rock N Roll"), rap-rock that falls between Kid Cudi and Childish Gambino ("Live to Death"), or Death Grips-influenced punk-hop that features Kathleen Hanna as its guest ("Perfect"). Those with a taste for R&B that's experimental and melancholic will find this an alluring debut, while others might balk at all the unexpected genre-jumping and stark sound.