Mobley - “James Crow"

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 7

Pairs Well With…Jungle, The Weeknd, SAULT

We’ve been following Mobley since his SXSW debut in 2015 and his sound continues to evolve in both its emotive connection points and sharp R&B-pop songwriting. Young & Dying in the Occident Supreme may have earworm hooks anchoring the 2021 EP, but the content here is deadly serious. Built around communal Black experiences and calling out injustice both personal and societal, Mobley is as rock-oriented as he’s ever been on this latest release and he uses that influence to add pointedness to a once spaced-out sound. Bold and dramatic, each song on Young & Dying finds its own groove, a committed focus from an artist continually and deservedly rising to impress. (Kevin McStravick)

2016 Review: Electronic R&B artist Mobley has only two proper tracks released to date, but there is enough here to see a potential important artist in the making.  Mobley’s started with “The New Black”, a track that melds blues, dance, rock and R&B into a stormy mix, building from a cool piano groove to crowded, psychedelic sounds.  It’s almost avant-garde in that way - Mobley’s songwriting and performance is refreshingly self-guided, even better shown with his grooving follow-up “Swoon”.  Mysterious and confident, “Swoon” is a mix of kiss-off and regret, highlighting Mobley’s percussive vocal on a marching backbeat.  It’s a mix of darkness and levity, pop and experimental R&B.