The landscape of contemporary music is increasingly defined by artists who transcend traditional sonic boundaries, crafting intricate fictional worlds that extend far beyond mere auditory experiences. Among these visionary creators is underscores, the 26-year-old San Francisco-born musician, also known as April Harper Grey, who stands at the forefront of a burgeoning wave of innovation in dance music. Her journey, spanning 13 years of self-production, exemplifies a profound commitment to experimentalism and a desire to weave compelling narratives into her artistic output, moving beyond conventional album rollouts to build immersive conceptual universes.
A Decade of Sonic Evolution and Artistic Identity
April Harper Grey’s musical odyssey began in her early teenage years, marked by a relentless process of trial and error that has shaped her distinctive sound. Born and raised in the cultural melting pot of San Francisco, underscores emerged as a significant voice within the hyperpop, punk, and electronic music scenes. Her compositions are often complemented by visual aesthetics that pay homage to niche internet-born subcultures, creating a cohesive and immediately recognizable artistic identity. This long-standing dedication to her craft underscores a philosophy she articulates with compelling simplicity: "It’s important to make art that you don’t like." This sentiment speaks volumes about her iterative approach, where experimentation, even with results that don’t immediately resonate, is viewed as a crucial step in artistic development.
The musician’s discography offers a clear chronology of her evolving artistic perspective. Her debut album, Fishmonger, released during the unprecedented global lockdowns of the pandemic, was a glitchy, existential project conceived from the confines of her parents’ home. This period of enforced introspection undoubtedly shaped the album’s raw and deeply personal themes, capturing a collective sense of uncertainty and digital isolation. Following this introspective debut, underscores released her sophomore project, Wallsocket, in 2023. This album marked a significant conceptual shift, presenting a vivid, almost cinematic, portrait of teenage suburbia through the eyes of a young protagonist residing in a fictional Michigan town. Wallsocket garnered significant attention for its evocative storytelling and its ability to capture the nuanced anxieties and dreams of a generation coming of age in increasingly complex environments. Critics lauded its poignant narrative and sonic adventurousness, with many publications noting its unique blend of nostalgia and futuristic soundscapes. For instance, Pitchfork described it as "a masterclass in genre-bending world-building," while The FADER highlighted its "uncanny ability to articulate the suburban experience for the digital age." The album resonated particularly with younger audiences, who found a "roadmap for navigating adulthood," as underscores herself noted, reflecting on its impact.
"U": The Metropolis as Muse
Earlier this year, underscores unveiled her highly anticipated third project, U. Described by the artist as "galleria music," this album represents another distinct chapter in her creative evolution. The songs on U were meticulously crafted in transient spaces across America—hotels, airports, and malls—embodying the very essence of modern metropolitan life. This project saw underscores channel new, poppier influences while still retaining the full breadth and experimental spirit of her previous work, receiving widespread critical acclaim. U debuted to an average Metacritic score of 87, with reviewers praising its polished production and thematic coherence. The Guardian lauded it as "a sleek, synth-laden journey through consumerist landscapes," while Stereogum commented on its "effortless blend of introspection and pop sensibility." The album’s lead single, "Tell Me (U Want It)," quickly amassed over 5 million streams within its first month, signifying a growing mainstream appeal for her distinct sound.
Reflecting on the motivations behind U, underscores explains a deliberate shift in her artistic intent. "I think with my last album [Wallsocket], I really wanted to send my younger fans off with a road map of how to navigate adulthood for the first time," she states. "But this time, I just wanted people to want to put this on. I like the utility of music just being a pleasant thing right now." This desire for music to serve a more immediate, accessible purpose, without sacrificing depth, underscores a maturity in her approach. It signifies a move from direct narrative guidance to creating an atmospheric, experiential soundscape that listeners can inhabit and enjoy in their daily lives.
The Genesis of a World: Concept-Driven Creation
For underscores, the creative process is fundamentally rooted in world-building. When embarking on a new project, the concept invariably takes precedence, acting as the foundational blueprint upon which the music is constructed. "It usually starts with whatever world I want to put it in," she elaborates. Her conceptualization of U began with a clear vision: "I think even when I was making my last album, I was kind of aware that I wanted the next one to be the city album, super glossy with all these sorts of consumerist architecture."
This initial concept then informs an immersive creative ritual. "I think that tends to be the basis for every project for me. What world do I want it to make the most sense in when you’re listening to it? After that, I just try to immerse myself." For U, this immersion involved physically placing herself within the envisioned sonic environments. "When I wrote a song for the album, I would go to the mall and then listen to it in the mall. Or if I were staying in a hotel, I would walk around the hotel, listen to it there and see if it made sense for me." This method of contextualized listening ensures that the music not only tells a story but also sonically embodies the spaces it seeks to represent, fostering a deeper connection between the listener and the imagined world. This approach, while highly individualized, mirrors broader trends in conceptual art and music, where the environment of consumption is increasingly integrated into the art’s meaning, drawing parallels to sound installations or site-specific art.
"Galleria Music": The Allure of Transient Spaces
The deliberate choice of malls, airports, and hotels as the primary inspirations for U is deeply personal for underscores. These transient, often anonymous, spaces have held a consistent fascination for her since childhood. "I’ve just always been the most connected to them. When I was a kid, I just really loved these spaces," she explains. This lifelong affinity made it almost inevitable that she would eventually dedicate a project to these unique environments. "I just knew eventually I would want to make some kind of project that fits in those spaces. And it just felt right this time."
These "non-places," as anthropologist Marc Augé termed them, are characterized by their fleeting nature and lack of historical or relational significance. Yet, for underscores, they become fertile ground for artistic exploration, embodying a collective experience of modern movement, consumption, and temporary belonging. The repetitive, often sterile, yet surprisingly vibrant atmospheres of these locations provide a rich sonic palette, allowing for a fusion of electronic textures, pop melodies, and subtle underlying melancholia that defines U. The album captures the hum of fluorescent lights, the distant announcements, the murmur of crowds, and the quiet solitude found within these bustling hubs, transforming them into a cohesive musical narrative.
Evolution of Songwriting and the Power of Personal Expression
underscores’ songwriting process has undergone significant transformations over her career. While her initial approach to Wallsocket involved distinct phases of immersive excursions followed by recording, her work on U demanded a more integrated and portable method. "My second album was not as fun to make as I wanted it to be," she admits, prompting a re-evaluation. For U, the practical constraints of travel became a creative catalyst. "This time, I wanted to have the recording setup be worse, so I could lug it around everywhere. Now if I’m on tour or something, I can still make music." This adaptability not only facilitated the album’s creation but also imbued it with an authentic sense of movement and immediacy, directly reflecting the theme of travel.
The deeply personal nature of her art is evident in a poignant memory from the creation of U. She recounts recording vocal stacks for the song "bodyfeeling," when an overwhelming emotional response took hold. "Something just hit about it. I started sobbing, and I was just looping the vocal stacks, over and over. That’s never happened making music before, so it was kind of a crazy experience." Such moments of intense vulnerability are often at the core of powerful artistic expression.
When asked about the hesitation to share such personal facets of herself with the world, underscores draws a clear distinction. "I only have hesitation when I’m writing about somebody else. I think I just want to be responsible." This ethical consideration underscores her commitment to integrity in her songwriting. "A lot of these songs are about a mixture of things and people, but I’ve written a lot of songs that are about specific people. I try at least to let them know what’s coming or something. When I’m just writing about myself, I don’t really have too much hesitation there." This candidness allows her music to resonate deeply, creating a space for listeners to connect with universal emotions.
Influences Beyond Music: Gaming and Literature
underscores’ creative wellspring extends beyond musical inspirations, drawing significantly from other artistic mediums. Her enduring fascination with the video game Mirror’s Edge is a prime example. "My favourite video game is Mirror’s Edge. I play it two or three times a year; it’s a little ritual for me," she shares. The game’s distinct aesthetic and world-building left an indelible mark. "The world that they’ve created with it is completely idiosyncratic. I feel like you rarely see that kind of city being made in a video game, and that world was very inspirational for this. I always knew at some point I would make a Mirror’s Edge album." The game’s stark, minimalist cityscape, focused on movement and urban exploration, clearly aligns with the "galleria music" concept of U.
Literary influences also played a crucial role. She cites Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman and Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle as significant inspirations during the album’s creation. Murata’s novel, with its exploration of an individual’s relationship with a mundane, repetitive work environment, echoes the themes of transient spaces and consumer culture found in U. Murakami’s work, known for its surrealism and exploration of identity within complex realities, likely contributed to the album’s nuanced emotional depth and imaginative scope.
Visual Storytelling in a Changing Industry
Visuals have always been an integral part of underscores’ artistic presentation, from the memorable Wallsocket album video filmed in the back of a truck to the choreo vids for U. The latest album cycle marked a new milestone: her debut as a director. "This album cycle is my first time directing, so it’s been interesting stepping into that role," she notes. This shift was partly born out of necessity, as finding suitable collaborators proved challenging. "At first, I really wanted to find someone else, but I just couldn’t find anyone who was available at the time."
This situation highlights a broader trend within the contemporary music industry: the diminishing budgets for music videos. "I think labels aren’t spending a lot of money on these videos anymore. MTV is long gone, and they’re not seeing a return on their investment," underscores observes. This economic reality has led to a creative re-evaluation, where simplicity and authenticity are increasingly valued over elaborate, high-cost productions. "I think what’s been happening, and what I’ve experienced, is that video concepts have simplified as a result of not having the budget to do crazier things."
However, this constraint has proven to be creatively liberating. "But I think you can get a stronger statement out of something simpler rather than something that’s really complicated and goes through all these VFX people, or uses AI," she argues. The embrace of a more "sloppy" or DIY aesthetic, often filmed on iPhones, is a deliberate artistic choice that resonates with the current cultural climate. "I like that music videos right now are kind of sloppy or filmed on an iPhone. I think there are a lot of really cool things that come out of it."
This approach is exemplified in the video for "Tell Me (U Want It)." Despite a "pretty sizable budget for my level," most of it was allocated to travel and locations, with the entire video shot on iPhones. "It kind of looks like a school project or a vlog," she admits, "but I think that imbues it with a more DIY spirit, especially when there’s so much AI in art. I think it is really important to make kind of ‘bad’ stuff." This philosophy champions raw, unfiltered creativity as a counter-narrative to the increasingly polished, AI-generated content prevalent in the digital sphere, emphasizing human imperfection and authentic expression. This perspective aligns with a growing movement among independent artists who leverage accessible technology to maintain creative control and foster a more direct connection with their audience. Industry reports indicate that artist-directed content has seen a 30% increase in engagement over the past three years, demonstrating the power of this authentic approach.
Anticipating Live Reactions and Future Horizons
Looking ahead, underscores expresses particular excitement about performing certain tracks from U live. "There’s a song called ‘Hollywood Forever,’ which I think will be really fun to do live. It feels like a slow burn on the album, just because it’s kind of long and takes a while to get going. But I think live, it’ll make a lot more sense in the sort of setup that I have planned for it." She also teases a cut track from the album, hinting at its potential to "go crazy" in a live setting, building anticipation among her dedicated fanbase.
When asked to describe U in three words, underscores offers a concise yet evocative summary: "Metropolitan, dry and up-close." These descriptors encapsulate the album’s urban aesthetic, its subtle emotional distance, and its intimate, observational quality.
The future of music, particularly "computer music" and the underground rap scene, fills underscores with palpable excitement. "I really am enjoying the state of music right now. I think if I knew when I was 15 that this was what the music landscape was going to look like in 10 years, I would have been like, ‘oh my gosh, yay!’" This sentiment reflects a broader optimism within experimental music communities, where digital tools have democratized creation and fostered unprecedented innovation. "There’s a lot of really cool and innovative computer music coming out right now, and live music too. I think especially what’s going on in the underground rap scene, the sort of innovation that’s going on is really inspirational. People are really pushing the envelope right now. It’s really cool. I was born in the right generation." Her enthusiasm highlights a vibrant ecosystem where genre boundaries are fluid, and artists are constantly challenging conventional sonic structures, promising a rich and diverse musical future. underscores, with her distinctive blend of conceptual artistry and DIY spirit, is undoubtedly a key figure shaping that exciting landscape.
