LIV.E - Past Futur.E

Texan singer and producer Hailee Olivia Williams, aka Liv.e (pronounced with a silent “e”), first started to make a name for herself in the latter half of the 2010s within the southern hip hop scene, thanks to the Memphis rap collective Kryptonyte, whose ranks included, among others, a then-unknown and still-green Pink Siifu.

A brief feature on the EP "Feet of Clay" (Tan Cressida, 2019) by the reliable Earl Sweatshirt earned the neo-soul artist a decent underground following, and she went on to make her debut in the post-pandemic period with the independent project "Couldn't Wait to Tell You…" (In Real Life, 2020): compared to the prolific run of EPs she'd released before it, marked by a fragmented, homemade sound still in constant search of an artistic identity, this debut leans into a more compact psychedelic soul and nu jazz. Despite a few detours, the record ultimately comes across as neither remarkable nor forgettable.

A similar fate befalls the second album “Girl In The Half Pearl” (In Real Life, 2023), far more successful in its atmospheric execution, veering toward atypical sensuality in the vocal arrangements, quite close to those of Chicago singer and producer KeiyaA. Amid countless stylistic exercises, one gem stands out: “RESET!”, a soul-jazzstep rework of “Redial”, a track originally composed by Japanese composer June Chikuma for the soundtrack of the video game “Bomberman Hero” (1998).

Having reached a genuine point of no return, in 2024 Liv.e brings to life a genuine what if: what would happen if a neo-soul singer of her caliber, graced with virtuosity and choral softness, decided to solo-produce a record of an entirely different kind? Well, “Past Futur.E” would be the result.

The Texan producer consciously decides to upend her own recording career while, at the same time, wrongfooting her core audience, diving headfirst into this niche project steeped in esoteric contaminations. The murky opener “Bad Girl”, overrun by a cathartic flood of synthesizers, vaguely recalls the raspy vocals in full Alan Vega style. The galactic EBM of “It Doesn’t Matter” finds a bizarre meeting point between the melodic-danceable optimism of early Depeche Mode and the mechanical hedonism of Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft.

The synthwave of “Poor Daddy” weaves a fabric of anxieties and sinister worries: Liv.e's impassive voice, marked by a strong British accent, grows darker and darker with each verse. Meanwhile, the synth punk of “Maybe it's Time” spiritually echoes the classic “Ghost Rider” by Suicide, without pushing into further acrobatics, paying homage to the pioneers of the most harrowing new wave. Brief as it is, the futurepop track “Haunted Disco” stands out for its frenzied rhythm and creative melody. Spartan and unpretentious, on the other hand, is the circular minimal synth of “Mashed Feelings”, whose sound seems to revolve around the work of Severed Heads in the mid-1980s, though with a touch of drone music. The concept closes with the doom-laden EBM of “$$$$$”, marked by an alienating, escapist momentum, ready to embrace an imminent digital apocalypse.

With this independent project, Liv.e has fulfilled a small dream long kept in a drawer — one that, however, may not have pleased fans unaccustomed to sonic exploration and unexpected twists.

But that's fine. Less is more, as they say.

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01/05/2026