Recent Release: Where I’m at Now – S. Raekwon
-
- October 2, 2021
Recorded between New York City and a six-month stint at his girlfriend’s parents’ home in Edwardsville, IL during the pandemic, Where I’m at Now is the album S. Raekwon made in a moment of clarity that occurred as he located his missing pieces in the world. His time in the Midwest proved influential on Reynolds; it is where he reconnected with the Black side of his family, his father’s, and took part in the worldwide protests against police brutality.
S. Raekwon, (Steven Raekwon Reynolds), is a singer/songwriter and producer from New York City by way of Buffalo, NY. His early 20s saw him moving from Buffalo to Cleveland to Edwardsville, Illinois, and back to New York’s East Village, all of which play a part in his artistry. Between shifts at his day job, Reynolds recorded his initial demos, which led to the release of his 2020 debut single “Parts Towards Whole / A Crow’s Smile” via Saddle Creek’s Document Series; it drew love from Stereogum and Spotify, the latter adding it to their New Music Friday playlists. Later that year, Reynolds contributed to The Song is Coming From Inside the House (Mount Eerie, Palehound), a compilation where the proceeds benefited the Groundswell Fund.
Having developed his sound largely on his own, and with interests ranging from D’Angelo to Nicolas Jaar, Reynolds’ sound exists at a crossroads of R&B, rock, folk, and electronics. Singular and sincere, his debut Where I’m at Now introduces the sound and the artist to the world. It doesn’t contain answers, but signals toward what feels like the right direction. Through his journey – of Blackness, of love, of pain and perseverance – he grants us permission to walk tall all the same. This music serves as a gentle, yet intentional reminder that we only need to be who we are in the moment, and we’re worth becoming who we know we can be.
Mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alex G, L’Rain), Where I’m at Now encapsulates the life and influences of a 21st century 20-something, at the start of not only a new path but a new decade as well. The self-produced album embodies the relentlessness of the East Village and the quiet serenity of Edwardsville. Reynolds handles the compositions and all of the instrumentation himself (save for drums on two songs), uniting guitar, piano, percussion, and synths beneath his tender tenor.
The album was released on the 8th October 2021 via Father/Daughter Records and tickets for upcoming shows can be purchased here
