Blvck Hippie is an indie rock band from Memphis, Tennessee lead by songwriter Joshua Shaw. Having been classically trained in piano, Shaw didn’t turn to the guitar until college, where he wrote songs in his dorm and eventually went on to release solo work under the moniker St. John. Shaw then slowly moved toward a fuller indie rock sound, welcoming band mates into the fold and taking up a childhood nickname as a title—Blvck Hippie.
The Blvck Hippie line-up has undergone several changes since its inception in 2018, but the current iteration features Casey Rittinger, Celest Farmer and Lynne Weldon alongside Shaw. Together, they craft what is described as Sad Boy Indie Rock—an amalgamation of a Strokes-esque energy and emo melodrama. The title of forthcoming album If You Feel Alone At Parties captures the aesthetic perfectly. The confessions and confusions of those who feel they don’t quite fit for whatever reason. All with the aim, Shaw explains, of showing “Black kids they can be weird too.”
Single ‘Technicolor’ is the perfect introduction to the style. Achieving a balance between moodiness and sincerity, the track is every bit the confessional reveal that Blvck Hippy specialises in. Loneliness meets self-deprecation, and guilt looms over every crutch, the sound mimicking the escalating intensity of inner torment. But in sharing this frame of mind, in putting it into words, Shaw also works toward freeing himself too. Finding catharsis in the act of opening up.
Photo by Mangomaat