FEW GUUD THOUGHTS| Romeo + Juliet | Raging Bull | Interview + Review

Written by: Kha Akerson

R&B is constantly being reinvented and creating sub-genres to continue pushing sound barriers. Raging Bull, the latest album from NJ native Romeo + Juliet, is a tour-de-force in modern R&B. In our opinion, he’s coining a new subgenre of R&B we like to call Sci-fi R&B. The 40-minute body of work, all self-produced and written by Romeo + Juliet, displays his credibility as a well-rounded artist. With innovative production and catchy songwriting, this project is a high watermark in the artist's discography. From the upbeat track “Slide” to the introspective ballad “GEM,” this album showcases the full range of Romeo + Juliet's musical talent. His emotions are descriptive and drenched in metaphors and whimsical smilies that inhabit hopefulness.

Each track on the album offers something unique, yet the cohesive sound ties everything together into a satisfying listening experience. The lyrics are introspective and thought-provoking, tackling themes of self-love, heartbreak, societal discourse, generational trauma, and the optics of appreciating life. The vocals are solid and vibrant, elevating the already impressive instrumentation. He wears his influences on his sleeves in a complimentary way. “Dive Bar” is one of the many stand-out tracks from the project, centers around the blissful moments of vice indulgence. It sincerely feels like a conversation with a happy drunk (if that makes sense.) The guitar riffs and synth chords on “Coocoo” strike right to heart as Romeo+Juliet harmonize against the production. The production value of this album is second to none, with layered soundscapes and creative sound design that shines a light on Romeo + Juliet’s ear. The use of dreamy synths adds an extra layer of interest and keeps the listener engaged throughout.

Raging Bull feels like the perfect score for an indie film. Nurturing in its core but forward-thinking sonically. The beat switches feel paced and unlock another layer of understanding. The words Romeo+Juliet use are poetic, specific, and detailed in emotion. Raging Bill is a triumph in modern music. It sets a new standard for the evolving genre of R&B. This album was stripped away from streaming platforms last year, right around its peak, in effort to evaluate the sound quality and textures even more. We owe Romeo + Juliet a thank you for regifting us this masterpiece.

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I feel like you’re coining a new subgenera of R&B, please don’t laugh but when I listen to your music, it feels like Sci-fi R&B

“Wow, that's hard. That is actually hard. It's so interesting that you say that because um, I felt like the question I got most leading up to Raging Bull was what genre are you?

And I feel like, when it comes to just wanting to get a foot in the industry, a lot of times they need those answers because they want to know how to market you…But for me, it's like I'm just making what I wanna make.”

How would you describe your music in two words? 

“Ha ha, I hate that question(chuckles.) I get cinematic a lot so I’ll go with that. Maybe euphoric as well.” 

Where are you from? 

“Born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, man.” 

Describe your thinking process leading up to Raging Bull

“Man, if I’m being honest with you, I was on my last leg because you know, it comes to a point where like, I gotta pay bills.I don't wanna be a struggling artist forever. I also feel like there's a mentality you have to have as an artist. I mean, to believe in yourself when no one else is listening, lying to yourself almost saying like, no, trust me. With Raging Bull, that was the first time I considered someone can work their hardest and it still does not work out. I feel relieved that it’s working and that I proved myself right.”

How’d you get your start in music?

“I’ve been at it for a really long time. Like most people, I started off in church…Born and raised in a church. That was where I discovered how powerful music can be, you know? Then I started piano lessons after that and slowly started singing. Just trying to figure out, you know, if I could sound like this person, if I could sound like that person, that means I'm pretty good. I remember my older brother just sort of telling me, look, If you wanna be an artist, you have to sing like yourself.”

(Cont’d)

Everything sounds the same, but like my brother was encouraging me not to do that. Which I guess was the start of building a foundation inside me to know that the route that I'm on is gonna take me a little longer because it is sort of against the grain. I was even in a band for a little…I was so focused on getting my 10,000 hours in.”

“NYC”

“So when I did NYC, that was before I had any idea about making a project. “NYC” was me experimenting and I was like, you know what? This sounds really nice. But it was at a point where I was just, living my life, not focused on music.”

“King David”

“It took me almost a year to do King David.  I remember working in a testing lab for Covid and different things and I was like writing “King David” on my shift, so I would sneak to the bathroom to record parts of the song on my phone.”

Where did you record Raging Bull at?

“I recorded Raging Bull in an apartment. So like, you know, apartments are super noisy, so I'd have to wait for everyone to be asleep. So I literally record from like midnight to like 4:00 AM, sleep a couple hours and wake up, go to the lab at seven and repeat the cycle.”

What’s the meaning behind the project's title, Raging bull?

“When I was doing this project, I really wanted to look back and know that I did everything with intention and everything with meaning. And I guess I came up with the idea right before the project was done. Raging bull stems from just everything that I had felt internally along the journey, you know? The passion, the rage, the blinded delusion. Plus I was watching a bunch of films at the time and Raging Bull came along, which is an incredible film!”

How has Martin Scorsese films influenced your music?

“He’s the best! there's just levels to his, his films that I enjoy most, you know, it feels like I'm, there's just, it's like it happens in parts. It's almost like Broadway. I feel like when I'm watching his movies where it's like, , part one, part two, intermission, part three, part four. like when I made Raging Bull, I wanted it to flow, but I didn't want everything to sound the same.”

How would you describe your creative process?

“I think the unfortunate thing about how I do music is that I can't do anything if I'm not inspired. it's very strange. I don't wanna say it's an out of body experience, but sometimes it feels like it. I like when it's just flowing. There is no set way. Like I constantly am recording on my phone, like if I have an idea or if I'm talking to you and you say something, I might be like, that's a good idea.

(Cont’d)

Let me write that down, or rather, let me put it in my notes…Let me sing a voice note. . That's how it all happened. So sometimes when I have no inspiration, I'll just look back at all the voice notes I've recorded in the last year.”

What encouraged your decision to take the project down for remastering?

“Full transparency, I started getting calls from everyone, label looks etc. and I was working with a group of people at the time and they were like yo, the music sounds good, but I think it'd be even better if we mixed and remastered it. I thought it sounded as good as it could, but I guess people in the industry thought it could actually sound a little better. It ended up being the best decision I had ever made. For the music, I hate that I lost time, I guess, for people to listen, but I couldn't be happier with how it sounds today.”

(Cont’d)

Kyle is someone I met along the way last year and he's the one who mixed it, super talented. Once he was done, I was like, it's time to give it back to the people, man.”

On “Gem,” you reference your heart at the bottom of the fish tank , let’s unpack that a little. What’s the metaphoric meaning behind the fish tank?

“So “Gem,” I wrote that about the first time I got high, (chuckles). So like okay, in the pandemic, I got high for the first time. At first I didn't think it was working, and then like, I guess it hit me like a train. Like I remember I almost had a, I had a panic attack, you know.  I'm like, this is the worst day of my life. And then I remember putting on Mumford and Sons, and then I literally was crying at how beautiful it sounded. What I thought was the worst day of my life somehow became the best day of my life. So I just remember thinking like, all right, when I'm back to normal, like I definitely wanna write a song about this experience. But in shorter words, heart at the bottom of the fish tank, It probably feels to be, I mean, It probably feels to be under the influence of love, but things are not working out.”

What was the hardest song to write? 

“It might be King David,  I went back and forth with it a lot. I feel like with slower songs, people listen more.So I felt like every single thing that I said had to make sense, you know? I wanted it to make sense because this was the last thing I was gonna do. like I said, I grew up in church, so I guess it was just important for me to just reflect on that.”

“Dive Bar” is one of my favorite songs

“That's the song I’m most proud of. It's just that it flowed, like, once I started writing it, it flowed… nothing was forced.  To be honest, like I've always wanted a feel good song that was sort of fast paced, but not in the traditional way, like slide. There was so much thoughtfulness that went into making “Dive Bar.”

What I appreciate about this album is how concise the soundscape is, how was it taking on the producer role as well?

“I always told myself I would never produce. Like, there was a point where I was so super stubborn on just being a singer. I didn't even wanna write songs at a point. I have a hard time putting things into the words to describe what I want, you know? So I just felt the best way for me to do this was to just learn for myself. That was also why it took me a long time to make, because I didn't know what I was doing.”

You’re one of the first artist where the tiktok algorithm worked out for you. How has tiktok changed your trajectory in music?

“One thing I will say is TikTok was my absolute last resort. . before I got on TikTok, I didn't spend any time on TikTok, like leading up to that, I started trying to study the algorithm, trying to see like the best way for me to get my stuff out there. 

(Cont’d)

Early TikTok was known for dance videos and I felt that my music wasn’t something to dance to so it felt like a waste of time putting my music on that platform. But one thing I did know was I couldn't look back and say I tried everything. If I didn't put my music on the most popular music platform.”

You’ve mentioned your brother a few times throughout our conversation, how has he influenced you?

“Yeah, my brother is amazing. His name is Zeb. I have two brothers, but Zeb was the one that was really into music and really just knowledgeable about everything. He was the one that brought home Kanye West, College Dropout & Late Registration; Eminem, the Eminem Show album…Get Rich Or Die Trying. . He even put me onto Pharrell, NERD. I learned everything from everything that he brought to the crib, he really introduced to me a lot of things you know what I'm saying? On top of introducing me to new music, he’s always encouraged me to be an individual at the end of everything as well.”

(Cont’d)

I say that I produce everything, but he actually produced the second half of Motherland, 3:00 AM. He produced that.

What’s next?

Yo. That's a good question. People have been asking me for vinyls, so I'm working on that.  I would really like to go on a  small tour and maybe do merch of some kind. I want the people to have some sort of memorabilia to remember this moment. 

Last three albums?

Nancy Wilson - Guess who I saw today?

Mac Miller - Macadelic

Little Simz - No Thank You

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Photos by @brevitymediaco

A Conversation w/ lamuse

Last month, New York rapper lamuse dropped her latest project Automatic Shutdown as a sonic depiction of growing pains and acceptance. Throughout this nine-track body of work, lamuse reflects on past relationships and previous thought processes which made her surrounded emotions to protect her peace. Every track feels like a personal journal entry and lamuse does not shy away from being vulnerable.

On “Take Less,” she raps about wishing the woman of her past didn’t put up with her childish ways. Lamuse’s choice of words is precise and adds to the story. The emotion that lies beneath “I’m Crying” comes second to none; it feels like a harmonized spoken word piece.

“Reddit” featuring Dachelle is one of the many stand-out tracks on the project. Lamuse’s cadence meshed with Dachelle’s gentle vocal arrangements. Rounding off at 20 minutes, Automatic Shutdown would make listeners understand yesterday is not tomorrow and it takes effort for true peace. 

Our conversation, lightly edited for content and clarity, follows below.

All right, so automatic shutdown. What does that mean to you?

Automatic shutdown is kind of like my natural state. When I feel like people are trying to make an emotional connection with me, I automatically shut down. Like, I've had a long track record of just being detached from people on an emotional level. So automatic shut down is that defense mechanism that we enact when we feel like danger is near.

How have those feelings translated into your music for this project?

On this project, it was the opposite; I think I was reflecting on those emotions of detached. I’m at a point in life where I'm beyond shutting down; It’s not normal for me to shut down automatically and doing so blocks off connections that other people may want to build with me. I believe those feelings translated through reflection…reflection on that chapter in my life. 

Going off of reflection, what was the inspiration for “Take Less”?

When thinking back on some of the women I’ve dealt with in my past, I feel like they gave me a lot and also feel like, “damn bitch, how stupid can you be?” (chuckles). I felt like the woman of my past would try to give a lot and force something that's not there. At times, they would force monogamy or exclusivity onto me knowing that I was not ready for that and I would tell them. 

Have those reflections in your music ever come back to bite you?

Honestly, back then, no matter the content I was speaking on, the girls would still be happy and excited that its a song about them. (Chuckles) and at that time, I was doggin’ them on tracks. Now, I’m older and in a committed relationship, my music is no longer dedicated to one woman, it’s a collection of it all. I feel like it’s pretty great to be someone’s muse.

How did you approach your music differently this time around?

I think on previous projects, I focused a little bit too much on the craft. Make sure the words and the rhymes are all going together; that the writing is beautiful. But this time around, I also made sure that I stayed true to the story.  Like on “I’m Crying,” every line is factual. 

All of the music was created at my home studio, which was also different because I usually work in collaborative environments. It was more solo, which I felt was necessary because this project was more personal and emotionally felt.  Every song and every beat aligned with those experiences I’m reflecting on Automatic Shutdown. 

Can you describe the emotions behind “I'm Great”?

 I was having a really shitty day. Okay. Was hysterically crying and honestly felt a little suicidal.  Didn't have a therapist at that time.  It came to a point where I called my mom because I was scared that I was really going to hurt myself. After that day, my mom called me every day. A week after that, we found a therapist for me. And that kind of, like, motivated me to seek medical help for whatever's going on in here. Funny story, my therapist broke up with me a few weeks ago, but that’s a whole nother story. 

 I think it's cool that you ended the tape off with “I'm Great,” because I feel like throughout the project, you're talking about those emotions and trying to find balance within it and at the end of it all, you do. Was that transition of emotions and songs intentional?

That was 100% intentional. I felt everything that came before “I’m Great” was very covert and very much emotionless. But then you have those songs like “I’m Crying” where I’m tiptoeing around my awareness that, yeah, I could be an awful person sometimes, I see it. Then “Comfort” is like sadness but then “I’m Great” ties everything together… embracing those emotions and now that I’ve had those experiences I could attach myself emotionally with someone. 

“Crowded Lottery Ticket” being a bit more upbeat than the other tracks, would you consider that a distraction for your audience while you’re dancing through the pain?

Honestly, I could see that... Like, imagine being at a party and everyone is dancing, having a good time but still carrying their own baggage. No one knows what you’re truly going through and believes everything is well based on the perception you present. But on the other side, I saw it as, a woman in my past would try to change me and aye, that’s like winning a lottery ticket (laughs.)

How was it working on “Retro 3” with yeahCaleb?

Working on that song was fun, it was from one of the sessions with my collective thebaremax. We ended up not putting it on our last project, SMUDGE and I felt it was such a good track and connected well with my story for automatic shutdown.

What are your favorite Jordans? 

Gotta be the ones, highs, and lows. 

What's next?

Singles and hopefully another thebaremax album. 

What is one thing you want your audience to get out of listening to this project?

That I'm not an asshole but I am an asshole. 

What were the last three albums you listened to?

The Essentials of Michael Jackson 

Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper

Sorry 4 The Wait by Lil Wayne