Black in Deep Red, 2014

Released in 2018, Black in Deep Red, 2014 is a conceptual EP inspired by Moses Sumney's first time attending a protest in 2014 following the non-indictment of the officer involved in the death of Michael Brown. While Sumney is often categorized by his ethereal 'indie-soul' sound, this project is significantly more aggressive and politically charged. The three tracks function as a cohesive suite, moving from the ambient field recordings of 'Power?' into the rhythmic, vocal-driven 'Call-to-Arms' and 'Rank & File'. Sonically, the EP leans heavily on vocal percussion and choral dissonance, moving away from the folk-inflected guitar work of Aromanticism. It was met with critical acclaim for its ability to translate the energy of a protest into a studio environment without losing Sumney's avant-garde sensibilities. It stands as a bridge between his early acoustic work and the more expansive, genre-fluid experiments of græ.