Pacific Yew is an artist from Fort Worth who has been releasing his own unique style of music since the beginning of this decade. We last heard from him just this past June, when he released the album, ((((Bathing)))). He now follows that up with another full-length album, ((((Maidenhair)))).

If you’re not familiar with Pacific Yew, his is a style that won’t blow you away at first, but it will sneak up on you. It’s a lo-fi, indie/classic rock/new wave-influenced style of hip hop and electronic music, often feeling more like a collection of sketches and sound collages, as opposed to a traditional pop album. The music feels like these bedroom studio experiments, built around fuzzy basslines, bluesy guitar, synthesizers, effect pedals, drum machines, and vocals. At times, you might get a little frustrated that he’s never going to give you something that feels like a finished product, but that’s just not Pacific Yew’s style. Every once in a while, you’ll get something like “((((Iceberg))),” which gets pretty close to a pop song (think Joe Jackson meets Tommy Guerrero), and you might wonder what a more polished Pacific Yew would sound like, but at this point in his career, I just don’t think he’s interested in doing that. He seems to be invested in the messiness of the creative process and experimentation, showing where the cracks are, and exploring what might seep through in those moments. The result is that you get albums that require more patience and understanding to get through, but at the same time deliver pieces of music that you are frankly not going to hear anywhere else.

((((Maidenhair)))) is not an album for everybody, even though at moments it might feel like there’s a great pop album hidden under the surface. Pacific Yew isn’t necessarily interested in making a polished album like that, though, and in a way, you have to respect that. His messiness is his style, and he wants you to explore those moments where the music doesn’t quite come together right next to the moments where everything lines up.