Somewhere between the cuteness of Shamir and the scariness of Mykki Blanco you will find New York’s Le1f, a ballet dancer-turned-producer-turned rapper. Although his out-ness is a big part of the appeal of this warped and edgy party album (“Fuck you, nigga, I fuck boys,” Le1f raps on Grace, Alek, Naomi, a tribute to black supermodels), the nod to riot grrrl in its title hints at far wider-ranging agendas within. The beauty of dark skin tones recurs on Swirl, an ode to interracial curiosity featuring Brazilian air horns, icy digitals and guest verses. T the more downbeat Cheap ponders the necessity of money over two warring chiptune hooks. In among the trap beats, buttery sonics and Autotune, Le1f does a particularly fine line in painful candour, conflating the rejection of would-be lovers with the wider humiliation of not being picked up by racist cab drivers.
