Real Clothes‘ Nico Fox describes her music as performance art, but that description doesn’t do justice to the music that she creates. Performance art conjures up images of artists in brightly lit museums gesturing in an ostentatious fashion for the audience to look at without much interaction on their part. The twisted and celestial creations crafted by Real Clothes guides listeners through Fox’s headspace, often crumbling or repeating in hypnotic trances. Using trip-hop as a starting point, Fox’s songs quickly branch into experimental hymns that feel truly unique. They are spirituals for the digital age, featuring shuttering drum patterns and glittery synths that surround her voice without preventing it from reaching its mesmerizing peak. And Fox’s performances are often dimly lit with lamps resembling candlelight as she sways from side to side, serenading her audience. It’s spellbinding in quality, fascinating in a somewhat alienating way. Most importantly, Fox’s music grabs listeners and pulls them on a aural journey that is simultaneously weightless and deeply impactful. You can stream “Bruja 魔女: The Screwed Pedant Lies” off the 2016 album Modulation below and see Real Clothes perform live at Alphaville on June 19. – Tucker Pennington
