Planet of The Apes is a 2023 album that can only be described as a sonic shitpost: a lo-fi cacophony of rap slang and pre-brainrot internetcore birthed from the tomfoolery of a high school friend group in suburban Missouri – West Air. However, a tender moment on that album led me to believe they treated music with some level of seriousness – ‘lost love intermission’ is an entirely instrumental track that reflectively bubbles into a vulnerable post-breakup vent. 

My suspicion would be confirmed when I noticed the same wistful chord progression from ‘lost love intermission’ baked into ‘Suncomein’, the instrumental intro track to the debut album from West Air member Caesbrain, A Warm Welcome. A Warm Welcome acts as a fine stamp of achievement, capsuling the peaks of Caesbrain’s initial years of musical refinement and personal growth to swan song his last few months of school-age weightlessness. Thus, the intro’s ‘lost love intermission’ reference feels like Caesbrain taking his roots through the exciting but daunting unknowns of new cinematic heights. 

A Warm Welcome proceeds to guide us through the lonely chase for happiness while the goalposts are always moving. In intermittent skits, Caesbrain reluctantly talks to the only audience member to his gig that seemingly exists in a Dawn-FM-like limbo, structuring the confrontation of his situation and traumas to arrive at self-acceptance on the other side. This type of artful album construction can be observed in even the most mainstream spaces (see The College Dropout or Rodeo), but it takes an astute listener to execute such ideas in your own work. 

Still, in a world where this inspiration is widely available, it takes something unique to stand out. There’s no reason Caesbrain should think that his particular illustration of the cliched adolescent crisis should outgrow his 20 monthly listeners. At the same time, the fact that artists like JPEGMAFIA and Tyler, The Creator have captivated millions thanks to a similarly eclectic appeal makes it harder for new artists to break in based on sonic experimentation alone. The key to these artists’ success has always been tapping into your own unique energy and hoping the algorithm picks it up. 

Although Caesbrain can’t control the latter, he packs an energy that he knows exactly how to propel right out of the speakers. The airy production lets Caesbrain double down on to-the-point contemplative lyricism (“They try to keep me underground and my head in the clouds”) while still leaving enough space for his West Air-inherited playful side, a mix of adolescent banter and the arrogance of rap idols. He does well to use his voice without trapping it in any rap or melodic rhyme schemes – it naturally sits between them anyway; his authoritative spoken-word style is distinct enough to make confessional tracks like ‘Lost*’ feel entirely his own. 

It’s clear that music is Caesbrain’s calling; A Warm Welcome is proof that making music for yourself is the best way to make something competitive. In a way, it’s a shame that such a polished album arrives at a time when its creator is still obscure – “my best works are non-influential / if I end it here, tell me is it consequential?”, he remarks at the album’s distressing low point on ‘Alone On The Road’ – will Caesbrain’s artistic interest ever align so sharply to the zeitgeist again?

Many of you readers know these ups and downs all too well and (speaking especially to the young artists) know the greatness we’re capable of but still share Caesbrain’s humility in getting the opportunity – “A warm welcome was all I wanted, or all I expected”. On behalf of UEA, let’s show Caesbrain & West Air some love and increase those listener counts! 

Photo Credit: Samuel Johnson