Malice K - “PHD”

SXSW 2024 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…Alex G, Elliott Smith, Elvis Depressedly

DIY rock filtered through a calming, breezy lens, Malice K’s music is both raw and comfortable across his two LPs and recent single “PHD”. The NYC-based artist has a raw, loose vibe in his music, performed in a way that is more relatable than distant and nonchalant. While tight power-pop is an influence here, these songs are merely informed by those structures and prefer bedroom-rock intimacy over hook-driven songwriting. More dreamy than dissonant, Malice K’s 2022 record Clean Up On Aisle Heaven takes lo-fi fragments and turns them into low-key bangers, fuzzy and memorable slices of prime indie rock. (Kevin McStravick)