On the track, “Blood of the Fang,”—the song whose chorus gives There Existed an Addiction to Blood its name—Daveed Diggs (of Hamilton fame) raps, “It doesn’t mean a thing because that body really meat.” This line sums up one of the central messages of experimental hip-hop group clipping.’s most recent project: a 15 track album in which body parts are served à la carte, the skin of victims stretched across the wall, and blood seeps into wooden floors, making them sticky and soft. The album intro ends with a jump scare: a low, scraping note that accelerates into a shriek in the final second of the track. Although abrasive, this effect feels fitting and appropriate as many of the songs are written in the deeply intimate second person. Listening to the album is akin to starring in your own personal horror film. You’re stuck in a trap house watching your friends fall dead on the ground as police raid the building. You find an abandoned tape of a woman’s voice, explaining how she was attacked by the devil. You crouch in a dumpster—an unknown liquid covering the floor—while you’re stalked by a vengeful, bloodthirsty woman.
The musical production adds to the experiential effect of the work. Heartbeats and rhythmic, ragged breathing make you intensely aware of your body while you listen to these songs. Low, droning notes rattle your chest on tracks like “Nothing is Safe” and “La Mala Ordina.” The album is confrontational and enticing. The dissonant static, shivering reptilian beats, and shocking lyrics delivered in ever-changing time signatures dare you to keep listening, and the sheer spectacle pulls you in. There Existed an Addiction to Blood turns you into a demon crouching in the shadows—a creature of awesome terror who answers to no moral code.
On the track, “Blood of the Fang,”—the song whose chorus gives There Existed an Addiction to Blood its name—Daveed Diggs (of Hamilton fame) raps, “It doesn’t mean a thing because that body really meat.” This line sums up one of the central messages of experimental hip-hop group clipping.’s most recent project: a 15 track album in which body parts are served à la carte, the skin of victims stretched across the wall, and blood seeps into wooden floors, making them sticky and soft. The album intro ends with a jump scare: a low, scraping note that accelerates into a shriek in the final second of the track. Although abrasive, this effect feels fitting and appropriate as many of the songs are written in the deeply intimate second person. Listening to the album is akin to starring in your own personal horror film. You’re stuck in a trap house watching your friends fall dead on the ground as police raid the building. You find an abandoned tape of a woman’s voice, explaining how she was attacked by the devil. You crouch in a dumpster—an unknown liquid covering the floor—while you’re stalked by a vengeful, bloodthirsty woman.
The musical production adds to the experiential effect of the work. Heartbeats and rhythmic, ragged breathing make you intensely aware of your body while you listen to these songs. Low, droning notes rattle your chest on tracks like “Nothing is Safe” and “La Mala Ordina.” The album is confrontational and enticing. The dissonant static, shivering reptilian beats, and shocking lyrics delivered in ever-changing time signatures dare you to keep listening, and the sheer spectacle pulls you in. There Existed an Addiction to Blood turns you into a demon crouching in the shadows—a creature of awesome terror who answers to no moral code.
