On Friday Kanye West‘s GOOD Music drops the self-titled debut by Hxlt, pronounced “Holt”—it’s the stage name of Treated Crew member Nigel Holt. Hxlt has been a known quantity around these parts for more than a decade, albeit as Hollywood Holt. In a 2015 interview with MTV, Holt explained the change: “When I rap I’m Hollywood Holt, and since I’m not rapping it’s just Holt.”
Listening to Hxlt reminded me of that tour with Fall Out Boy. It’s a punk album, but it’s not boilerplate three-chord punk rock. It’s punk in its concept and presentation, and in the fact that a rap label—Kanye’s rap label, no less—is releasing an album with no rapping on it. Hxlt’s hip-hop history makes itself felt, though like his punk style it’s a subtle element—you can hear it in the swing of the electronic percussion and in his sober singing. The bare percussion loops and spindly guitars of Hxlt‘s postpunk skeleton can sound cold, but that austerity makes the small inflections in Hxlt’s mood feel like grand gestures; “Guitar,” one of the final tracks on the album, maintains a modest minimalism while exuding an irrepressible uplift. Its lingering melody has encouraged me to revisit the whole record. Hxlt celebrates the release of his album on Thursday, February 25, at the Underground. The show starts at 10 PM; RSVP at Underground’s site.
