a little death

It is glib if not forced to reduce an artist’s identity in a one to one with their music, but it’s still notable that claire rousay is one of a number of openly transgender artists in the 2020s whose artistic excellence is also matched by the impossibility of simply categorizing their music as simply one thing – it is whatever they choose to pursue, as rousay has over a large series of albums, singles and more in many veins. a little death, rousay’s late 2025 album, finds her continuing to explore in many different directions even in the short space of barely over half-an-hour, a testimony to her abilities. After the short spoken-word and distortion of “i couldn’t find the light,” “conditional love”’s blend of space, feedback, cryptic beatless rhythm and more further sets the tone and from there it’s a flowing blend that feels half like an installation soundtrack recorded on site, half murky jam session in a shadowed loft, all building to the suddenly heartbreakingly beautiful title track to close it out. It may be less immediately approachable than the previous year’s sentiment, but that just makes it all the more entrancing.