Kevin Abstract: The Heartbreak Kid

      Kevin Abstract reflects on the essence of his album ‘Blush.’ He employs the title as an adjective, infusing its gentle sounds into his softly articulated thoughts. The dreamy quality of his work highlights the sincere efforts of a passionate curator—an artist revealing his own local exhibit. Sincerity forms the core of Abstract’s cinematic tale of heartbreak. He invites friends to join him (including Dominic Fike, Quedeca, Love Spells, and JPEGMAFIA), enriching the release with lush, film-like production, smooth falsetto vocals, and beats reminiscent of BROCKHAMPTON. It serves as a soundtrack to a world that’s not entirely complete, yet its initial outlines are starting to be felt. “I felt very betrayed, experiencing many friendship breakups during that time. I felt quite lonely and low,” he shares, alluding to his choice to return home to Houston after a tumultuous period. “My beard was longer than it is now – I looked wild. But once I got to Texas, I thought ‘it’s not as bad as you think,’ even though I was still struggling,” he says via Zoom, the digital frame focusing on his face and jet-black zip jacket, which boldly displays ‘Blush.’

      It's early afternoon for the artist, whose real name is Clifford Ian Simpson. His laptop persistently pings with incoming messages, and he apologizes lightly (“sorry about this going off, my bad”). The camera on his MacBook is fixed on his face, moving subtly as he speaks, akin to a director panning across a scene. He takes some time to settle into the conversation, confessing he’s currently on a media tour. “I just finished an [interview] with Zane Lowe, also over Zoom. I’m not accustomed to those,” he remarks, pulling his arms closer to his body. “I prefer in-person interviews, but there’s something intimate about this format; it takes me back to my internet friends from high school, where we could only connect and create things through FaceTime or Facebook chat. I’m working on getting comfortable with it.”

      Internet culture is a deliberate thread in the musician’s work: he met ‘Blush’ collaborator Love Spells through a bold Instagram DM, and half of the BROCKHAMPTON crew initially connected in 2009 after he reached out on a ‘KanyeLive’ forum. The rapper skillfully constructs his projects around his current pursuits. In his previous album, ‘Blanket,’ he expresses his feelings of love to sugary pop melodies, while raw rock ballads provide a sense of release. In ‘Blush,’ Abstract appears to seek companionship, yearning for a digital embrace, relying on his collaborators for support. “It’s like I’m trying to create my own version of Hollywood in Texas,” he explains. Following a painful breakup that disrupted much of his social circle, Abstract made a snap decision: to pack all his belongings into his Jeep and drive to Texas. With his mind racing, he admits that during tough times, he prefers to head home. “I was aiming to reconnect with various aspects of my past and life,” he describes. “I had been living in California for the last nine years and had endured a significant heartbreak. Two summers prior, I had a breakup with BROCKHAMPTON, then I found a new group and a new romantic interest, but another breakup followed the next summer. I was fed up with Los Angeles, so I thought ‘let me return home and rediscover myself’; I loaded my Jeep and headed for Texas.” Fueled by emotion, the rapper played his trusted playlist during the journey. With over 624 unique songs totaling more than 38 hours of music, this expansive collection is fittingly titled ‘Pieces of Me.’ His recent additions include ‘Sick Dogs’ by Psycho Realm, ‘A Dream Goes On Forever’ by John Glacier and Vegyn, and ‘April In Paris’ by Ahmad Jamal. “I add songs to it daily, anytime I come across a track I like—whether it’s at a coffee shop, at the mall, or when someone at home sends me something. I put it on shuffle and drove, drove, drove.”