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Last week, midwxst - future pop star and one of the pioneers of the hyperpop-infused SoundCloud rap genre known as “digicore” - dropped the music video for his new single, “Bluffing” ahead of the release of his third EP of the year, ‘BACK IN ACTION 2.0’ last week.
“Bluffing” is a great, mild introduction to midwxst’s unique, genre-bending style at the intersection of pop, alt rock, hip hop, and abstract ‘Soundcloud rap’ - combining the catchiest and moodiest elements of pop/punk rock with rap flows and hip hop content - set on a backdrop of blaring synths, busy electronic production, and vintage video game sounds nostalgically arranged in a way that mimics the real instruments of pop punk bands of the 2000s.
The music video for “Bluffing” (directed by Zach Madden) opens with an unsuspecting shot of midwxst (sometimes referred to by his real name, Edgar) seemingly waking up in bed, before he is slowly lifted via harness high into the air while delivering his opening verse direct-to-camera - revealing he’s actually in a film studio and not his bedroom.
The 18-year-old midwxst is a shining example of the new wave of upcoming artists emerging online who are unafraid to be themselves and experiment with new sounds - born out of Soundcloud, Roblox, and friendly collaboration on Discord servers as opposed to the more typical guns, drugs, and too-cool-for-school attitude. While there are many ways people have attempted to articulate this unconventional style, he describes it as “a peek into the everyday thoughts and actions of an anxious and self-conscious teenager who has an occasional boost of confidence in himself.”
While he’s been impressing his classmates with his music since his early high school days, Edgar really broke through last year with his song, “Trying” - a brilliantly executed, exemplary digicore/hyperpop track with a Lyrical Lemonade-style video by Overcast that’s gone on to become his biggest song to date with over 1.1M views and 7M Spotify streams. Since then, he’s followed up with consistent quality releases: projects ‘SUMMER03’ (named after the year he was born and featuring another standout track, “Smile”) and ‘Back in Action’ 1 & 2, popular singles like “Made It Back”, “Tic Tac Toe” and “Care”, as well as numerous collabs with other young rising stars of the internet culture including Ka$hdami, BabySantana, ericdoa, glaive, aldn, and more. In October of this year, it was announced that midwxstwould be included in #YouTubeBlack Voices Artist Class of 2022 - yet another sign of his broad appeal and huge long term potential.
Overall, midwxst is a hugely exciting new talent and will very likely play a key role in bringing the hyperpop and digicore sounds to the mainstream. With a highly engaged cult following, big songs like “Trying”, and now the releases of “Bluffing” and ‘Back in Action 2.0’ under his belt - he is already well on his way.
Watch the video for “Bluffing” below - and be sure to check out midwxst’s new project ‘Back in Action 2.0’ out now.
