ALBUM REVIEW: Genesis Owusu goes darker than the debut on ‘Missing Molars’

There are hardly any young Australian musicians as exciting as Genesis Owusu.

With his conceptual, genre-hopping debut album Smiling With No Teeth, released in March of this year, 23-year-old Kofi Owusu-Ansah proved to be a refreshingly zany and electrifying presence in our country’s musical output, and it was little wonder that he’s quickly gained a well-deserved international following. He’s drawn comparisons to the likes of Andre 3000 and Childish Gambino, but Owusu’s style is entirely his own, effortlessly transitioning from suave vocal hooks to vicious yell-rapping at a moment’s notice.

The Canberra artist’s new release, Missing Molars, is a deluxe edition of Smiling with No Teeth, and features five new songs that hail from the same recording sessions that birthed that album. These tracks don’t stray far from the songwriting heard on SWNT – not that they needed to – and expand upon the album’s themes of depression, recovery, and racial injustice. The ‘black dog’ character Owusu has frequently used to represent his struggles with both mental illness and racism continues to be a presence throughout these tracks.

Missing Molars sports a more down-trodden tone than the album it’s attached to. That’s somewhat due to its tracklist feeling more bare-bones in terms of instrumentation and production, with not much by way of embellishments being added to fill out the space. This works to the benefit of opener ‘The Fall’, the majority of which is only backed by a simple electronic beat and the occasional shriek of a buzzsaw-like guitar. The spaciousness of the song works in perfect harmony with the eerie atmosphere set up by the lyrics (“I can’t feel ok, the fall might come today”).

‘Same Thing’ is the most upbeat of the new tracks – groovy but deceptively dark. Despite its menacing lyrics (“The state where I feel nothing, except for the canine’s sin, except for your ice cold sting”), the track is an irresistibly catchy piece of synth-funk, complete with slap bass from Michael Di Francesco (aka Touch Sensitive) and sleek vocal harmonies.  

While the gaps in otherwise polished production aren’t a huge loss, it does leave a few tracks feeling somewhat stagnant or lacking in oomph. This is most apparent on ‘What Do I Fear’, which is set into motion by a killer guitar riff, gritty drums, and a ferocious scream from Owusu. Unfortunately, the song loses some steam as it progresses, particularly when a minimalist synth part leads the song into an underdeveloped final leg. The rap verses on the track are hard to dismiss, however, as Owusu gradually builds up in intensity throughout his second verse before dropping gems like, “MAGA ass boys get the flag down-throat, put a cross through your circle like tic tac toe.” 

Closing track ‘Crosses’ is similar in its subject matter and the deftness with which it’s handled (“Say that I was heaven-sent, but perks of God’s children been handed to white boys”). Even more impressive is Owusu’s flow, which sees a dial-back in aggression but an increase in speed and switches up multiple times throughout his verse.

Though it’s rather undercooked, ‘Fallen Branches’ makes its mark as one of the more off-kilter songs on the entire deluxe album. Beginning as a mellow keyboard-led jazz rap number, the track contains a tempo change midway through, which Owusu raps over effortlessly. Between drummer Julian Sudek’s flourishes, guitarist Kirin J. Callinan’s chaotic melodies and keyboardist Andrew Klippel’s comping, the instrumental feels more like a jam session than a refined backdrop to a song. Despite the messiness, the track ends up being endearingly peculiar.

Owusu’s ambitiousness and willingness to experiment are on full display on these tracks and are consistently commendable elements throughout. Whilst the bulk of Missing Molars isn’t as dynamic or memorable as much of what we’ve heard from him up to this point, it’s still a consistently enjoyable showcase of his versatile and creative musicianship, and a welcome extension to the universe established on his debut album.