GABRIEL

Vietnamese American and Houston native keshi (real name Casey Luong) has become a streaming powerhouse in the last few years, inspiring him to leave his job as an oncology nurse to pursue music full-time. The success of his first four self-produced EPs—2018’s <i>The Reaper</i>, 2019’s <i>skeletons</i>, 2020’s <i>bandaids</i> and <i>always</i>, with their millions of streams—is proof enough. <i>GABRIEL</i> is his proper debut LP, and it’s a departure from some of his earliest recordings. “GET IT” is energetic, utilising old-school hip-hop call-and-response in his most boastful song to date. “SOMEBODY” is lo-fi R&B, “TOUCH” is Frank Ocean-informed alt-pop, “PÉRE” is a French spoken-word interlude, “MILLI” breaks out Spanish guitar, “UNDERSTAND” is all about the string-arrangement crescendo and “WESTSIDE” is big-hearted acoustic guitar balladry, with trap beats and keshi’s crystal-clear falsetto on full display. Co-produced by Elie Rizk (known for his work with TikTok musician Bella Poarch), keshi’s first full-length pushes the boundaries of what his idiosyncratic songwriting style can sound like.