''Digital Lows'' is the debut mixtape by American rapper,

Cities Aviv Gavin Mays (born 1989), better known by his stage name Cities Aviv, is an American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee. Early life Gavin Mays was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Overton High School and Cordo ...

. It was released on May 2, 2011, through Fat Sandwich Records. Produced by various artists including Muted Drone, RPLD GHOSTS and Danny Dee, 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 loosely emulates 1980s electropop while engaging with notions of memory and nostalgia. Common features inclu ...

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 primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician ...

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

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

's "

People Are People "People Are People" is a song by English 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 Ne ...

'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 would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' ...

. The track "Meet Me on Montrose (For Ex-Lovers Only)" is based on a sample of

Alessi Brothers The Alessi Brothers, also known as Alessi, are an American pop rock singer-songwriter duo who first came to international prominence with their 1977 hit single "Oh Lori". The duo are identical twin brothers, Billy and Bobby Alessi (born July 1 ...

' "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 band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenc ...

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 the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

, the album's

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became pop ...

leanings and storytelling were compared to the works of underground hip hop 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

The mixtape generally received positive reviews. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' 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'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described the album as "lullingly pretty."

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Gavin Mays Gavin Mays (born 1989), better known by his stage name Cities Aviv, is an American rapper and record producer from Memphis, Tennessee. Early life Gavin Mays was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Overton High School and Cordo ...

- vocals, lyrics, performance ;Producers * Muted Drone * RPLD GHOSTS * Danny Dee * Upgrayde * Royal'T * Blackbird Blackbird ;Other personnel * Matt Qualls - recording * Drew Ryan - cover art

References

External links

Cities Aviv - ''Digital Lows''
on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

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