Dance has always been a vital part of
Rahim Redcar's artistic expression, but his music has never been as consistently danceable as it is on
Hopecore. Setting aside the melodic peaks and valleys of
Redcar les adorables étoiles and
Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, his fifth album puts rhythm first. Propelled by driving four-on-the-floor beats, "FORGIVE 8888888" would fit right into a set of soulful house tracks. Briefly illuminating
Hopecore's cavernous washes with flares of synths and melody,
Redcar uses his signature drama to evoke the dancefloor as a space for transformation and to reveal one's true self. He wrote, produced, and mixed the album on his own, and that may be why these tracks display an independence and bite not heard in his music since
Chris. He channels that album's complex yet visceral energy on "Deep Holes"; though he sings about "flesh" and "provocation," the beat is tough and sparring, complicating his desire. And while
Hopecore's pulse feels much more grounded than either
Redcar les adorables étoiles or
Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, the stakes within its songs are still stratospheric. On "ELEVATE," transcendent faith -- and a mesmerizing groove -- lifts him above despair ("I was born out of names that make me question the world/And make me go insane"); on the
Hercules and Love Affair-esque "INS8DE OF ME," a battle for
Redcar's soul rages. He doesn't entirely forsake his love of grand gestures on
Hopecore, and songs like "Red Birdman Emergency" seamlessly blend
Hopecore's clubby expressions of identity, lust, and frustration with
Redcar's inherent theatricality. Moments like these make the album's healing, resilient version of dance music a natural extension of his mission to be truly seen and understood. Though change is an essential part of his music, the finest moments of
Hopecore's club catharsis have a lot of promise if
Redcar continues in this direction. ~ Heather Phares
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