Bartees Strange with Pom Pom Squad at Deep Ellum Art Co.

Bartees’ relationship with genre is complex. He’s clearly appreciative of stylistic tradition but doesn’t feel bound by it. Indie rock is the core, but his music is coated with country acoustics, R&B vocal tics, glossy pop choruses, moody shades of dance music, and a medley of rap flows. On his forthcoming second album and debut for the fabled independent label 4AD, Farm To Table, there’s an organic curiosity and depth to his interactions with everything from Hot 100 rap production to tender folk arrangements to emo dramatics. Whenever I pivot the conversation to genre, he laughs lightly, which I interpret as, Ugh, not this again. He’s a good sport, though, usually responding with some variation of, “Call me all of it baby, but I’m Bartees.”

– pitchfork.com