At this point the infamous backstory to the versatile producer Joe Thornalley, known as Vegyn, has been repeated a number of times, so I’ll do my best to repeat the concise version to those who are unfamiliar. He taught himself how to produce while attending university, frequented the now-defunct London club Plastic People where he met James Blake, and, within two years, ended up all over the production credits of Frank Ocean’s albums Blonde and Endless. Earlier this year, he released the 71-track Text While Driving If You Want to Meet God! through his own label PLZ Make It Ruins, and the sprawling tape could be described as a high-end garage sale for demos and beats (I mean that in the best way possible). Vegyn considers this new project, Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds, to be his official debut album, and the overarching narrative showcases a clear vision not previously seen in his earlier work.
The album encompasses a wide spectrum of influences, including old interviews, snippets of the Adult Swim cult classic Xavier: Renegade Angel, IDM, chopped & screwed, trap, and a Memphis homage to Three 6 Mafia. Despite the myriad inputs on this project, it comes across as incredibly cohesive in feel and overall flow. The album has a softness to it that comes through via the soothing synths and lush instrumentation. In many ways,Vegyn’s sound feels futuristic, yet it pulls so heavily from the past that I’m almost always left feeling nostalgic about vague memories of my childhood.
A number of tracks on the album channel the gamut of the human experience. The ambient-based groove of Vegyn’s ‘Debold’ feels strikingly similar to one of my favorite Aphex Twin songs of late, the extraterrestrial-esque ‘minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix].’ The visuals for both songs feature amateur dancing, which feels so refreshingly genuine in contrast to the majority of big-budget music videos. ‘It’s Nice To Be Alive’ begins by sampling the beeps and breaths of hospital ventilator before looping into pattering synth which intersperses vocal snippets like ‘Don’t cry baby….I love you.’ along with the eerily cheery ‘Let’s Go!!!’ The song comes across as happy yet is filled with a subtle melancholy at the same time. ‘Nauseous / Devilish’ features the rapper JPEGMAFIA as he aggressively spits over the industrial beat, covering his annoyances towards the usage of social media before veering quickly vulnerable territory and saying ‘I got no father.’
Throughout Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds, Vegyn perfectly captures the messiness of humanity and culture. It feels like a visit to my 92-year-old grandmother’s house, where I look around at the plethora of aged photographs on the walls, listen to a record by Joan Baez, and discuss the future of America in relation to the recent impeachment of Trump. Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds covers a similarly diverse spectrum, and, when I finish the album, I’m left both energized about the future while simultaneously relishing the depth of my past memories.
Score: 8/10
Favorite Tracks: Nauseous / Devilish, Debold, Retro OTW, When I Strike, It’s Nice to Be Alive
Cover photo by Myles Loftin
About Author
