It’s been about two years since the Detroit-raised visionary rapper and producer Quelle Chris got together with producer Chris Keys to release Innocent Country 2, his last solo album. Since then, Quelle Chris has done plenty. He’s produced Homeboy Sandman’s Don’t Feed The Monster album and Open Mike Eagle’s Armand Hammer collab “Burner Account.” He’s released the Alchemist-produced compilation track “Iron Steel Samurai.” He’s composed some of the Judas And The Black Messiah score. He’s shown up on a lot of other people’s projects. And now, Quelle Chris has announced plans to release a new album of his own next month.

The new Quelle Chris LP is called DEATHFAME, and he produced most of the LP himself, though Chris Keys co-produced a few tracks, including the single, and Knxwledge co-produced another. The album is light on guest appearances, but rappers like Navy Blue, Pink Siifu, and Denmark Vessey put in guest appearances. Quelle Chris’ Bandcamp page promises that the album “carries on like an incredible lost tape found at a Baltimore flea market.” As someone who’s bought a lot of tapes at a lot of Baltimore flea markets, I can tell you that this is a lofty goal indeed.

First single “Alive Ain’t Always Living” is a soulful, atmospheric jam that’s also weird and fuzzed-out and vaguely ominous. Quelle Chris songs over warm gospel-style organs about being grateful to be alive, but the beat is a slow lurch, and there’s so much distortion on everything that it gives off vague doom metal vibes. It sounds cool as hell. Listen to “Alive Ain’t Always Living” and check out the DEATHFAME tracklist below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “TEYC”
02 “Alive Ain’t Always Living”
03 “King In Black”
04 “PS1 (Pontiac Sunfire 1)”
05 “Feed The Heads”
06 “So Tired You Can’t Stop Dreaming” (Feat. Navy Blue)
07 “Die Happy Knowing They’ll Care”
08 “DEATHFAME”
09 “The Agency Of The Future”
10 “Help I’m Dead”
11 “How Could You Love Something Like Me?”
12 “CUI Podest” (Feat. Denmark Vessey & J Jig Cicero)”
13 “The Sky Is Blue Because The Sunset Is Red” (Feat. Moruf & Pink Siifu)
14 “Excuse My Back” (Feat. Cavalier)

DEATHFAME is out 5/13 on Mello Music Group.