Track Premiere: Sipper—”Kid”
Posted: by The Editor
Under the name Sipper, Joe Beerman writes sad fucking music. The NYC artist promises not to be a “shit friend” on his recent single, “Friend”, and on the red-faced “Ghost” he murmurs about having a sex dream–but he’s more excited about the requited love than the imaginary relations, channeling a specific type of pathetic heartbreak. Last year he put out an EP called Adam Driver, which featured an illustration of the actor on its cover and a whole song dedicated to his name (“Adam D, you’re my everything”). That track unexpectedly took off on streaming services, and now Beerman has a captive audience for his exceptionally personal and often bleak music.
But it’s a good thing people care because nearly all of Sipper’s songs have been hits, and his latest, “Kid”, which we’re premiering below, is no exception. Beerman’s style falls somewhere between the stark freak-folk of Phil Elverum, the despondent pop of Elliott Smith, and the otherworldly indie-rock of Smith’s second coming, (Sandy) Alex G. “Adam Driver” was more of an Elverum tune, and “Kid” is an undeniably Smith-ian endeavor. Over woozy acoustic guitar strums, a solemn bassline, and an unflinching drum beat, Beerman uses a sing-songy mutter to drop dismal lines like, “If you want to, we could die,” and reference crying like a kid all day. It’s got a nice, even build to it and ends with warped vocals that call back to DSU-era Alex G, which is a clever touch.
“Kid” is from an EP called Have Fun that’s out 5/28, but you can stream the track below:
Have Fun is out 5/28.
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Eli Enis | @eli_enis
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