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{{Infobox album
{{Infobox album
| name = Mika's Laundry
| name = Mika's Laundry
| type = studio
| type = studio
| artist = [[Matt Champion]]
| artist = [[Matt Champion]]
| cover = Mika's Laundry.jpg
| cover = Mika's Laundry.jpg
| alt = A green-colored photo of the artist on a white background smudged with dirt, under a sheet of clear plastic.
| alt = A green-colored photo of the artist on a white background smudged with dirt, under a sheet of clear plastic.
| released = March 22, 2024
| released = March 22, 2024
| recorded =
| recorded =
| studio =
| studio =
| genre =
| genre =
| length = 33:07
| length = 33:07
| label = [[RCA Records|RCA]]
| label = [[RCA Records|RCA]]
| producer =
| producer = * Matt Champion
* Matt Champion
* Henry Kwapis
* Henry Kwapis
* [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]]
* [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]]
* Jack Karaszewski
| prev_title = Harley
* [[Jabari Manwa]]
| prev_year = 2017
* Ryan Raines
⚫
| next_title =
| next_year =
| prev_title = Harley
| misc = {{Singles
| prev_year = 2017
⚫
| next_title = Slint's Favorite
| next_year = 2024
⚫
| misc = {{Singles
| type = studio
| type = studio
| single1 = Aphid
| single1 = Aphid
Line 27: Line 29:
| single3 = [[Slow Motion (Matt Champion and Jennie song)|Slow Motion]]
| single3 = [[Slow Motion (Matt Champion and Jennie song)|Slow Motion]]
| single3date = March 8, 2024
| single3date = March 8, 2024
⚫
}}
| single4 = Dogfish
}}
| single4date = March 22, 2024
⚫
}}}}
'''''Mika's Laundry''''' is the debut studio album by rapper and former [[Brockhampton (band)|Brockhampton]] member [[Matt Champion]], released on March 22, 2024, by [[RCA Records]]. The album was preceded by three singles, all with music videos directed by Anna Pollack. It features contributions from Henry Kwapis, [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]], [[Dora Jar]], [[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]], and multiple of Champion's former bandmates.
'''''Mika's Laundry''''' is the debut studio album by rapper and former [[Brockhampton (band)|Brockhampton]] member [[Matt Champion]], released on March 22, 2024, by [[RCA Records]]. The album was preceded by three singles, all with music videos directed by Anna Pollack. It features contributions from Henry Kwapis, [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]], [[Dora Jar]], [[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]], and multiple of Champion's former bandmates.


Line 37: Line 38:
Champion released the album's first single, "Aphid", on February 15, 2024.<ref name="Aphid" /> The single features vocals by [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]].<ref name="Aphid" /> ''Clash''{{'}}s Robin Murray said "the touching songwriting brims with promise, Matt Champion illuminating each finer detail in the process."<ref name="Aphid">{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=February 15, 2024 |title=Matt Champion Shares Solo Cut "Aphid" |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/matt-champion-shares-solo-cut-aphid/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]}}</ref> The song came with a music video directed by Anna Pollack.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lane |first=Lexi |date=March 8, 2024 |title=Matt Champion and Blackpink's Jennie Move in "Slow Motion" on a New Song From His ''Mika's Laundry'' Album |url=https://uproxx.com/pop/matt-champion-jennie-slow-motion-new-song/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Uproxx]]}}</ref> Second single "Slug" followed on February 28, co-produced by Champion and Henry Kwapis.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Armstrong |first=Megan |date=February 29, 2024 |title=Matt Champion Does His Best "Slug" Impression in His Clever Single and Dance-Heavy Video |url=https://uproxx.com/indie/matt-champion-releases-slug-single-video/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Uproxx]]}}</ref><ref name="Alternative Press Slug">{{Cite news |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=February 28, 2024 |title=Brockhampton's Matt Champion shares new solo single "Slug" |url=https://www.altpress.com/matt-champion-slug-video-watch/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]}}</ref> "Slug" expands on the sound of "Aphid", "channeling gooey, nostalgia-inducing [[funk]] and [[Soul music|soul]]."<ref name="Alternative Press Slug" /> "Slug" came with a music video directed by Pollack in which Champion, covered in slime, dances and crawls around in a plastic bubble in the woods.<ref name="Alternative Press Slug" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Caroline |date=February 29, 2024 |title=Matt Champion Unleashes Danceable New Single "Slug" |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/769661-matt-champion-slug-hip-hop-news |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[HotNewHipHop]]}}</ref>
Champion released the album's first single, "Aphid", on February 15, 2024.<ref name="Aphid" /> The single features vocals by [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]].<ref name="Aphid" /> ''Clash''{{'}}s Robin Murray said "the touching songwriting brims with promise, Matt Champion illuminating each finer detail in the process."<ref name="Aphid">{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=February 15, 2024 |title=Matt Champion Shares Solo Cut "Aphid" |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/matt-champion-shares-solo-cut-aphid/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]}}</ref> The song came with a music video directed by Anna Pollack.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lane |first=Lexi |date=March 8, 2024 |title=Matt Champion and Blackpink's Jennie Move in "Slow Motion" on a New Song From His ''Mika's Laundry'' Album |url=https://uproxx.com/pop/matt-champion-jennie-slow-motion-new-song/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Uproxx]]}}</ref> Second single "Slug" followed on February 28, co-produced by Champion and Henry Kwapis.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Armstrong |first=Megan |date=February 29, 2024 |title=Matt Champion Does His Best "Slug" Impression in His Clever Single and Dance-Heavy Video |url=https://uproxx.com/indie/matt-champion-releases-slug-single-video/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Uproxx]]}}</ref><ref name="Alternative Press Slug">{{Cite news |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=February 28, 2024 |title=Brockhampton's Matt Champion shares new solo single "Slug" |url=https://www.altpress.com/matt-champion-slug-video-watch/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]}}</ref> "Slug" expands on the sound of "Aphid", "channeling gooey, nostalgia-inducing [[funk]] and [[Soul music|soul]]."<ref name="Alternative Press Slug" /> "Slug" came with a music video directed by Pollack in which Champion, covered in slime, dances and crawls around in a plastic bubble in the woods.<ref name="Alternative Press Slug" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Caroline |date=February 29, 2024 |title=Matt Champion Unleashes Danceable New Single "Slug" |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/769661-matt-champion-slug-hip-hop-news |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[HotNewHipHop]]}}</ref>


The album was announced on March 8, with its release set for March 22 by [[RCA Records]].<ref name="Clash ann">{{Cite news |last=Hussain |first=Shahzaib |date=March 8, 2024 |title=Matt Champion Announces New Album ''Mika's Laundry'' |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/matt-champion-announces-new-album-mikas-laundry/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]}}</ref> With the announcement came the third single, "[[Slow Motion (Matt Champion and Jennie song)|Slow Motion]]", featuring [[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]] from the [[K-pop]] group [[Blackpink]].<ref name="Clash ann" /><ref name="Stereogum ann">{{Cite news |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=March 8, 2024 |title=Matt Champion (Brockhampton) & Jennie (Blackpink) – "Slow Motion" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2254922/matt-champion-brockhampton-jennie-blackpink-slow-motion/music/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Stereogum]]}}</ref> ''Stereogum''{{'}}s Tom Breihan called the song a "starry-eyed love song" which "starts off as a soft, [[Billie Eilish]]-style [[piano ballad]], but then a [[Jungle music|jungle]] [[breakbeat]] kicks in so suddenly that I thought I had music playing in a different open tab."<ref name="Stereogum ann" /> The song came with another video directed by Pollack.<ref name="Clash ann" /> Jennie revealed on Instagram that the two made the song three years prior.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chin |first=Carmen |date=March 11, 2024 |title=Blackpink's Jennie reveals "Slow Motion" was "created" three years ago |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/blackpink-jennie-slow-motion-was-created-three-years-ago-3599434 |access-date=March 12, 2024 |work=[[NME]]}}</ref>
The album was announced on March 8, with its release set for March 22 by [[RCA Records]].<ref name="Clash ann">{{Cite news |last=Hussain |first=Shahzaib |date=March 8, 2024 |title=Matt Champion Announces New Album ''Mika's Laundry'' |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/matt-champion-announces-new-album-mikas-laundry/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]}}</ref> With the announcement came the third single, "[[Slow Motion (Matt Champion and Jennie song)|Slow Motion]]", featuring [[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]] from the [[K-pop]] group [[Blackpink]].<ref name="Clash ann" /><ref name="Stereogum ann">{{Cite news |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=March 8, 2024 |title=Matt Champion (Brockhampton) & Jennie (Blackpink) – "Slow Motion" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2254922/matt-champion-brockhampton-jennie-blackpink-slow-motion/music/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |work=[[Stereogum]]}}</ref> ''Stereogum''{{'}}s Tom Breihan called the song a "starry-eyed love song" which "starts off as a soft, [[Billie Eilish]]-style [[piano ballad]], but then a [[Jungle music|jungle]] [[breakbeat]] kicks in so suddenly that I thought I had music playing in a different open tab."<ref name="Stereogum ann" /> The song came with another video directed by Pollack.<ref name="Clash ann" /> Jennie revealed on Instagram that the two made the song three years prior.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chin |first=Carmen |date=March 11, 2024 |title=Blackpink's Jennie reveals "Slow Motion" was "created" three years ago |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/blackpink-jennie-slow-motion-was-created-three-years-ago-3599434 |access-date=March 12, 2024 |work=[[NME]]}}</ref> A music video for "Dogfish", also directed by Pollack, was released the same day as the album.<ref name="Dogfish">{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Elaina |date=March 22, 2024 |title=Brockhampton's Matt Champion Makes His Solo Debut on ''Mika's Laundry'' |url=https://hypebeast.com/2024/3/matt-champion-brockhampton-mikas-laundry-debut-solo-album-stream |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=[[Hypebeast (company)|Hypebeast]]}}</ref>


Champion described the album as existing in "a remote, but technologically sound community of cement-walled facilities, open plains, and greenhouse-like domes, at the centre of which lies the album's namesake club, Mika's Laundry."<ref name="Clash ann" />
Champion described the album as existing in "a remote, but technologically sound community of cement-walled facilities, open plains, and greenhouse-like domes, at the centre of which lies the album's namesake club, Mika's Laundry."<ref name="Clash ann" /> He credited [[Arthur Russell (musician)|Arthur Russell]]'s ''Love Is Overtaking Me'', [[Tirzah (musician)|Tirzah]]'s ''[[Devotion (Tirzah album)|Devotion]]'', and [[Big Moe]]'s ''[[City of Syrup]]'' as inspiring his melodic literacy.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hussain |first=Shahzaib |date=July 22, 2024 |title=Elysian Fields: Matt Champion Interviewed |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/elysian-fields-matt-champion-interviewed/ |access-date=September 30, 2024 |work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]}}</ref>

== Reception ==
{{Music ratings
| title = ''Mika's Laundry'' ratings
| rev1 = ''[[The Needle Drop]]''
| rev1score = 6/10<ref name="Fantano rev" />
}}
''[[Hypebeast (company)|Hypebeast]]''{{'}}s Elaina Bernstein called the album "existential and ethereal" and said it "reflects the many different sides of Champion, while also infusing the influences of the project's production collaborators".<ref name="Dogfish" /> ''[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]''{{'}}s Robin Murray said the album is "framed by vivid colour" and is a "work of real complexity, dominated by shifts in mood and tone."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=March 22, 2024 |title=Matt Champion's Debut Album ''Mike's Laundry'' Thrives on Complexity |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/matt-champions-debut-album-mikes-laundry-thrives-on-complexity/ |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]}}</ref> ''The Needle Drop''{{'}}s [[Anthony Fantano]] wrote that while the album's "song structures leave a lot to be desired, ''Mika's Laundry'' is a pretty good showcase of Matt's range as a solo artist."<ref name="Fantano rev">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZjpLTQkDOg |title=Matt Champion - ''Mika's Laundry'' Album Review |date=March 27, 2024 |last=Fantano |first=Anthony |access-date=March 28, 2024}}</ref>

''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' ranked "Slug" as the 41st-best song of the first half of 2024, with Matt Mitchell praising it as "one of the best [[dance music|dance]] tracks of the year, one I haven't been able to turn off since I first heard it months ago."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mitchell |first=Matt |date=June 7, 2024 |title=The 50 Best Songs of 2024 So Far |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-songs/the-50-best-songs-of-2024-so-far |access-date=June 8, 2024 |work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]}}</ref> ''[[Uproxx]]'' called the album one of the best of the year as of June 4.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rossignol |first=Derrick |date=June 4, 2024 |title=The Best Albums of 2024 So Far |url=https://uproxx.com/music/best-albums-2024-so-far-list/ |access-date=June 19, 2024 |work=[[Uproxx]]}}</ref>


== Track listing ==
== Track listing ==
Line 45: Line 56:
| headline = ''Mika's Laundry'' track listing
| headline = ''Mika's Laundry'' track listing
| extra_column = Producers
| extra_column = Producers
| all_writing =
| total_length = 33:07
| all_writing = [[Matt Champion]] and Henry Kwapis with others noted. All tracks are produced by Champion and Kwapis with others noted.
| title1 = Green
| title1 = Green
| writer1 = {{hlist|}}
⚫
| extra1 = {{hlist|}}
| length1 = 3:02
| length1 = 3:02
| title2 = Aphid
| title2 = Aphid
| note2 = featuring [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]]
| note2 = featuring [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]]
| writer2 = {{hlist|[[Matt Champion]]|Henry Kwapis|[[Dijon Duenas]]|[[Bearface|Ciarán McDonald]]|Lily Lizotte}}
| writer2 = {{hlist|[[Dijon Duenas]]|[[Bearface|Ciarán McDonald]]|Lily Lizotte}}
| extra2 = {{hlist|Champion|Kwapis}}
| length2 = 2:45
| length2 = 2:45
| title3 = Steel
| title3 = Steel
| note3 = featuring [[Dora Jar]]
| note3 = featuring [[Dora Jar]]
| writer3 = {{hlist|}}
| writer3 = {{hlist|Jack Karaszewski|[[Dora Jar]]kowski}}
| extra3 = {{hlist|}}
| extra3 = Karaszewski
| length3 = 2:43
| length3 = 2:43
| title4 = Gbiv
| title4 = Gbiv
| writer4 = {{hlist|}}
| writer4 = {{hlist|Duenas|[[Kiko Merley|Isaiah Merriweather]]|Jack Sobo}}
| extra4 = {{hlist|}}
| extra4 = {{hlist|Dijon{{efn|name=fn1}}|Sobo{{efn|name=fn1}}|[[Kiko Merley]]{{efn|name=fn1}}}}
| length4 = 2:54
| length4 = 2:54
| title5 = Purify
| title5 = Purify
| writer5 = {{hlist|}}
| writer5 = {{hlist|Duenas|Merriweather|Mason Stoops}}
| extra5 = {{hlist|}}
| extra5 = {{hlist|Merley{{efn|name=fn1}}|Stoops{{efn|name=fn1}}}}
| length5 = 3:01
| length5 = 3:01
| title6 = Dogfish
| title6 = Dogfish
| writer6 = {{hlist|}}
| extra6 = Ryan Richter{{efn|name=fn1}}
| extra6 = {{hlist|}}
| length6 = 1:54
| length6 = 1:54
| title7 = Code Red
| title7 = Code Red
| writer7 = {{hlist|}}
| writer7 = {{hlist|Duenas|[[Jabari Manwa]]rring|Nate Cassel}}
| extra7 = {{hlist|}}
| extra7 = {{hlist|[[Jabari Manwa]]|Cassel{{efn|name=fn1}}}}
| length7 = 2:12
| length7 = 2:12
| title8 = Aren't You Excited
| title8 = Aren't You Excited
| writer8 = {{hlist|}}
| writer8 = {{hlist|Duenas|Merriweather}}
| extra8 = {{hlist|}}
| extra8 = {{hlist|Dijon|Merley{{efn|name=fn1}}}}
| length8 = 2:22
| length8 = 2:22
| title9 = Slug
| title9 = Slug
| writer9 = {{hlist|Champion|Kwapis}}
| extra9 = {{hlist|Champion|Kwapis}}
| length9 = 3:00
| length9 = 3:00
| title10 = Everybody Likes You
| title10 = Everybody Likes You
| writer10 = {{hlist|}}
| writer10 = Duenas
| extra10 = {{hlist|}}
| length10 = 2:09
| length10 = 2:09
| title11 = Project
| title11 = Project
| writer11 = {{hlist|}}
| writer11 = Adam Melchor
| extra11 = {{hlist|}}
| extra11 = Melchor{{efn|name=fn1}}
| length11 = 1:59
| length11 = 1:59
| title12 = [[Slow Motion (Matt Champion and Jennie song)|Slow Motion]]
| title12 = [[Slow Motion (Matt Champion and Jennie song)|Slow Motion]]
| note12 = with [[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]]
| note12 = with [[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]]
| writer12 = {{hlist|Champion|Kwapis|Duenas|[[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]]|[[Frank Dukes|Adam Feeney]]|Jacob Reske|[[Romil Hemnani]]}}
| writer12 = {{hlist|Duenas|[[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]]|[[Frank Dukes|Adam Feeney]]|Jacob Reske|[[Romil Hemnani]]}}
| extra12 = {{hlist|Champion|Kwapis|Dijon|Jack Karaszewski{{efn|name=fn1}}|[[Kiko Merley]]{{efn|name=fn1}}}}
| extra12 = {{hlist|Dijon|Karaszewski{{efn|name=fn1}}|Merley{{efn|name=fn1}}}}
| length12 = 2:45
| length12 = 2:45
| title13 = Meetin' You
| title13 = Meetin' You
| writer13 = {{hlist|}}
| writer13 = Ryan Raines
| extra13 = {{hlist|}}
| extra13 = Raines
| length13 = 2:21
| length13 = 2:21
| total_length = 33:07
}}
}}
'''Notes'''
'''Notes'''
Line 110: Line 114:
== Personnel ==
== Personnel ==
=== Musicians ===
=== Musicians ===
* [[Matt Champion]] – vocals
* [[Matt Champion]] – lead vocals
* [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]] – vocals (2)
* [[Dijon Duenas|Dijon]] – lead vocals (2), backing vocals (5, 7, 8)
* [[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]] – vocals (12)
* [[Dora Jar]] – lead vocals (3)
* [[Jennie (singer)|Jennie]] – lead vocals (12)
* [[Bearface|Ciarán McDonald]] – backing vocals (2)
* [[Bearface|Ciarán McDonald]] – backing vocals (2)


=== Technical ===
=== Technical ===
* Henry Kwapis – [[recording engineer]] (2, 12)
* Henry Kwapis – [[recording engineer]]
* De'Ron Billups – recording engineer (2, 9)
* De'Ron Billups – recording engineer (2, 9)
⚫
* Chris Galland – engineer (2, 9)
⚫
* Jeremie Inhaber, Robin Florent, and Scott Desmarais – assistant engineers (2, 9)
⚫
* [[Manny Marroquin]] – [[mixing engineer]] (2, 9)
⚫
* Zach Pereyra – [[mastering engineer]] (2, 9)
* Adam Loeffler – recording engineer (12)
* Adam Loeffler – recording engineer (12)
⚫
* Chris Galland – engineer
⚫
* Jeremie Inhaber, Robin Florent, and Scott Desmarais – assistant engineers
⚫
* [[Manny Marroquin]] – [[mixing engineer]]
⚫
* Zach Pereyra – [[mastering engineer]]


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Matt Champion}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:2024 debut albums]]
[[Category:2024 debut albums]]

Latest revision as of 02:12, 19 November 2024

Mika's Laundry
A green-colored photo of the artist on a white background smudged with dirt, under a sheet of clear plastic.
Studio album by
Matt Champion
ReleasedMarch 22, 2024
Length33:07
LabelRCA
Producer
Matt Champion chronology
Harley
(2017) 		Mika's Laundry
(2024) 		Slint's Favorite
(2024)
Singles from Mika's Laundry
  1. "Aphid"
    Released: February 15, 2024
  2. "Slug"
    Released: February 28, 2024
  3. "Slow Motion"
    Released: March 8, 2024

Mika's Laundry is the debut studio album by rapper and former Brockhampton member Matt Champion, released on March 22, 2024, by RCA Records. The album was preceded by three singles, all with music videos directed by Anna Pollack. It features contributions from Henry Kwapis, Dijon, Dora Jar, Jennie, and multiple of Champion's former bandmates.

Background and release

[edit]

Champion is the second former member of Brockhampton to release a solo album since the group's breakup in 2022, following Kevin Abstract's 2023 album Blanket.[1]

Champion released the album's first single, "Aphid", on February 15, 2024.[2] The single features vocals by Dijon.[2] Clash's Robin Murray said "the touching songwriting brims with promise, Matt Champion illuminating each finer detail in the process."[2] The song came with a music video directed by Anna Pollack.[3] Second single "Slug" followed on February 28, co-produced by Champion and Henry Kwapis.[4][5] "Slug" expands on the sound of "Aphid", "channeling gooey, nostalgia-inducing funk and soul."[5] "Slug" came with a music video directed by Pollack in which Champion, covered in slime, dances and crawls around in a plastic bubble in the woods.[5][6]

The album was announced on March 8, with its release set for March 22 by RCA Records.[7] With the announcement came the third single, "Slow Motion", featuring Jennie from the K-pop group Blackpink.[7][1] Stereogum's Tom Breihan called the song a "starry-eyed love song" which "starts off as a soft, Billie Eilish-style piano ballad, but then a jungle breakbeat kicks in so suddenly that I thought I had music playing in a different open tab."[1] The song came with another video directed by Pollack.[7] Jennie revealed on Instagram that the two made the song three years prior.[8] A music video for "Dogfish", also directed by Pollack, was released the same day as the album.[9]

Champion described the album as existing in "a remote, but technologically sound community of cement-walled facilities, open plains, and greenhouse-like domes, at the centre of which lies the album's namesake club, Mika's Laundry."[7] He credited Arthur Russell's Love Is Overtaking Me, Tirzah's Devotion, and Big Moe's City of Syrup as inspiring his melodic literacy.[10]

Reception

[edit]
Mika's Laundry ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Needle Drop6/10[11]

Hypebeast's Elaina Bernstein called the album "existential and ethereal" and said it "reflects the many different sides of Champion, while also infusing the influences of the project's production collaborators".[9] Clash's Robin Murray said the album is "framed by vivid colour" and is a "work of real complexity, dominated by shifts in mood and tone."[12] The Needle Drop's Anthony Fantano wrote that while the album's "song structures leave a lot to be desired, Mika's Laundry is a pretty good showcase of Matt's range as a solo artist."[11]

Paste ranked "Slug" as the 41st-best song of the first half of 2024, with Matt Mitchell praising it as "one of the best dance tracks of the year, one I haven't been able to turn off since I first heard it months ago."[13] Uproxx called the album one of the best of the year as of June 4.[14]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Matt Champion and Henry Kwapis with others noted. All tracks are produced by Champion and Kwapis with others noted.

Mika's Laundry track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
1."Green"  3:02
2."Aphid" (featuring Dijon)
 2:45
3."Steel" (featuring Dora Jar)
Karaszewski2:43
4."Gbiv"
2:54
5."Purify"
  • Duenas
  • Merriweather
  • Mason Stoops
3:01
6."Dogfish" Ryan Richter[a]1:54
7."Code Red"
2:12
8."Aren't You Excited"
  • Duenas
  • Merriweather
2:22
9."Slug"  3:00
10."Everybody Likes You"Duenas 2:09
11."Project"Adam MelchorMelchor[a]1:59
12."Slow Motion" (with Jennie)
2:45
13."Meetin' You"Ryan RainesRaines2:21
Total length:33:07

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Additional studio producer

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

[edit]

Technical

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Breihan, Tom (March 8, 2024). "Matt Champion (Brockhampton) & Jennie (Blackpink) – "Slow Motion"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Murray, Robin (February 15, 2024). "Matt Champion Shares Solo Cut "Aphid"". Clash. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Lane, Lexi (March 8, 2024). "Matt Champion and Blackpink's Jennie Move in "Slow Motion" on a New Song From His Mika's Laundry Album". Uproxx. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Armstrong, Megan (February 29, 2024). "Matt Champion Does His Best "Slug" Impression in His Clever Single and Dance-Heavy Video". Uproxx. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Sacher, Andrew (February 28, 2024). "Brockhampton's Matt Champion shares new solo single "Slug"". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  6. ^ Fisher, Caroline (February 29, 2024). "Matt Champion Unleashes Danceable New Single "Slug"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Hussain, Shahzaib (March 8, 2024). "Matt Champion Announces New Album Mika's Laundry". Clash. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  8. ^ Chin, Carmen (March 11, 2024). "Blackpink's Jennie reveals "Slow Motion" was "created" three years ago". NME. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Bernstein, Elaina (March 22, 2024). "Brockhampton's Matt Champion Makes His Solo Debut on Mika's Laundry". Hypebeast. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  10. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (July 22, 2024). "Elysian Fields: Matt Champion Interviewed". Clash. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Fantano, Anthony (March 27, 2024). Matt Champion - Mika's Laundry Album Review. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Murray, Robin (March 22, 2024). "Matt Champion's Debut Album Mike's Laundry Thrives on Complexity". Clash. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  13. ^ Mitchell, Matt (June 7, 2024). "The 50 Best Songs of 2024 So Far". Paste. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (June 4, 2024). "The Best Albums of 2024 So Far". Uproxx. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
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