''Digital Lows'' is the debut

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

by American rapper

Cities Aviv Wilbert Gavin Mays (born 1989), better known by his stage name Cities Aviv, is an American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee. He is also the founder of the independent record label Total Works (also known as D.O.T.) Early life ...

, released on May 2, 2011, through Fat Sandwich Records. Various producers were enlisted to help produce the mixtape, including Muted Drone, RPLD GHOSTS, Danny Dee, Upgrayde, Royal'T, and Blackbird Blackbird. The mixtape earned attention and critical acclaim from various music publications.

Musical style and production

The beats on the mixtape, which feature

chillwave Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It is characterized by evoking the popular music of the late 1970s and early 1980s while engaging with notions of ...

elements, were described as "imaginative but still traditionalist." The track "Black Box" samples

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackso ...

's "Winter in America." The track "Die Young" features a looped sample of

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

's "

People Are People "People Are People" is a song by British electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 12 March 1984 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Some Great Reward'' (1984). Recorded at Hansa Mischraum in West Berlin, it was the ban ...

," creating a hybrid style akin to "

Rammellzee Rammellzee (stylized RAMM:ΣLL:ZΣΣ, pronounced "Ram: Ell: Zee"; December 15, 1960 – June 28, 2010) was a visual artist, gothic futurist graffiti writer, painter, performance artist, art theoretician, sculptor and a hip-hop musician from New Yo ...

's avant-rap and Southern fight-rap." The tracks "A Beautiful Hell", "Doom x Gloom", and "sixsixsixes" are influenced by hip hop group

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American hip-hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip-hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' became an influen ...

. The track "Meet Me on Montrose (For Ex-Lovers Only)" is based on a sample of Alessi Brothers' "Oh Lori" while the track uses a sample from electronic music act Blackbird Blackbird's cover of a

Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members were lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock (musician), Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and ba ...

song, " Float On." While his flow was compared to those of

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name RZA ( ) or the RZA, is an American rapper, record producer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is the '' de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having pro ...

, the mixtape's

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

leanings and storytelling were compared to the works of

underground hip hop Underground hip hop (also known as underground rap or simply underground) traditionally refers to hip hop music that is outside the general mainstream canon or counter-cultural in nature, usually with a heavy emphasis on emotion, lyricism, and/or ...

groups such as

The Nonce The Nonce was a hip-hop duo from Los Angeles, California, that was active in the 1990s, releasing material from 1992 to 1999. As part of the Project Blowed collective, working with Aceyalone, among others, the duo developed a reputation fo ...

and Natural Elements.

Critical reception

''Digital Lows'' received generally positive reviews from music publications. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' reviewer Brandon Soderberg stated: "Balance is important here, and the darkest moments of ''Digital Lows'' soon enough let up to highlight Cities Aviv's most winning quality: his mordant humanity." He also further stated: "Even the usual hip-hop clichés are afforded specificity thanks to his expressive wit and precise determination not to use words in the same exact way as every other rapper." Jon Caramanica of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described the mixtape as "lullingly pretty."

Accolades

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

. * Gavin Mays – vocals, lyrics, performance * Muted Drone – production (1, 3–4) * RPLD GHOSTS – production (2, 5, 10) * Danny Dee – production (6–7, 9, 11) * Upgrayde – production (11) * Royal'T – production (8) * Blackbird Blackbird – production (12) * Matt Qualls – recording * Drew Ryan – cover art

References

External links

Cities Aviv - ''Digital Lows''
on

{{Authority control 2011 debut albums 2011 mixtape albums Cities Aviv albums Debut mixtape albums