Stream Open Mike Eagle’s Sad, Thoughtful New Album Anime, Trauma And Divorce
Three years ago, the relentlessly smart and incisive underground-rap veteran Open Mike Eagle released a great album called Brick Body Kids Still Daydream. Since then, OME has made a whole lot of music, including Quarantine Recordings, a collaborative EP that he and Serengeti released earlier this year. He’s also done other things, including launching his podcast network, making his pro-wrestling debut, and starring in the Comedy Central show The New Negroes. But he hasn’t come out with a new LP until today.
Today, Open Mike Eagle has released Anime, Trauma And Divorce, a new album that gets into some very heavy territory. On the album, we can hear OME processing the end of his marriage and the cancellation of his TV show, trying to imagine what comes next in his life, and reflecting on his own issues through the ever-present lens of pop culture. As a rapper, he’s always funny and engaging, even when he’s at his bleakest. And even if you’re not going through all the same things as OME, some of the sentiments on this album are still profoundly relatable. Consider: “It’s October, and I’m tired.”
On the new album, Open Mike Eagle works with producers like Gold Panda and Black Milk. Open Mike Eagle serves as one executive producer; the other is U2/REM collaborator Jacknife Lee. We’ve already posted the early singles “The Edge Of New Clothes,” “Death Parade” and the Kari Faux collaboration “Bucciarati,” and now you can stream the whole album below.
Anime, Trauma And Divorce is out now on Auto Reverse.