"“I need help writing this song,” he mutters on “Slavery.” “Please save me from the studio.” On “Conference,” after crooning for a minute over eerie, undulating tones, he interrupts himself to murmur, “This song could've been fire, but I need more motivation.” The songs he chooses not to rap over he often titles with some variation of “Art Is Sucking the Life Out of Me” (“Art Is Sucking the Life Out of Me Bro,” “Art Is Sucking the Life Out of Me OK,” “Art Is Sucking the Life Out of Me Fr,” etc.)."
"Skeletrix uses music as a stepping stone for his pursuits with fashion and AI-embellished visual art; he claims he'll never do a concert in his career. Whatever you may make of his side hustles, he's a unicorn for his ghoulish, one-of-one baritone and his ear for dense experimentation; the pained vocals and unnerving pianos of 2023's “ Skeletrix Island” are unlike anything else you'll hear online today."
"The fact that he says he barely even likes rap, and claims his “art doesn't have deep meaning,” should be enough reason to disengage from his shit altogether, but my curiosity persists. The affecting, uncanny sound design baked into Skeletrix's work does well to uphold the perception that there is, in fact, a complex message to be dissected. His production choices tend to be as beautiful and layered as they are arcane, and he's built a cult fandom of people who consider his music high art."
"Some critics love him. “I was in a really bad spot, but I started getting the message that he was sending,” one fan said in a recent mini-doc. “It really made me."
Body of Work is an hour-long album featuring frequent direct-to-camera stares and murmured complaints during tracks. The artist asks for help writing songs, interrupts performances for motivation, and labels unused rap ideas with variations of “Art Is Sucking the Life Out of Me.” The project connects music to fashion and AI-enhanced visual art, with claims that he will never do a concert. Despite statements that he barely likes rap and that his art lacks deep meaning, the sound design remains affecting and uncanny, with layered, arcane production choices. The work has attracted a cult following and some critics, including fans who describe receiving a message that made them feel deeply impacted.
Read at Pitchfork
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