Introduction

On Struggler, the sophomore album from Canberran-Australian Kofi Owusu-Ansah, better known as Genesis Owusu, he puts forth an interesting concept album about one of the least desirable things in the world: a roach. Owusu set a high bar for himself following up on his debut album Smiling with No Teeth, which was a favorite among critics, won the Australian Recording Industry Association award for Album of the Year, and was also this particular critic's album of the year for 2021. Even though I was iffy on some of the singles he put out between this album and SWNT, he comes through here to deliver one of my favorite albums of the year.

On Struggler, he shows off his immense vocal and instrumental range, jumping from hip hop to punk, funk, and even breakbeats. Written following the COVID-19 pandemic, Owusu explores the fight against supernatural forces through the eyes of a roach. Roaches are disgusting bugs, some of the weakest and most vulnerable creatures in the world. At the same time, the roach is also one of the most indestructible creatures in the world, one of the few that could survive the wrath of the Peaky Blind... I mean Oppenheimer's bomb. While sonically a little less interesting than his debut in my opinion, Struggler still delivers fun, funky songs that put La Cucaracha back on the map.

Song Reviews

The Roach: In an interview with WXPN, Owusu addresses the roach theme directly and says, "When you're battling forces as grand as what we are... We as humans can feel kind of small and insignificant and out of control in those circumstances. The roach as a symbol was the perfect spirit animal of that feeling." While instrumentally not one of my favorite songs on the album, it is narratively important to understanding who the Roach is in Owusu's story. My English teachers will be disappointed that I learned more about Kafka's Metamorphosis in a Genesis Owusu song than in their class, but I think you have to be ground down by life first to truly understand it, not be a happy-go-lucky high schooler.

See You There: On my first listen, this was the song that stood out first. I've always loved the slower R&B-style songs from Owusu, with "Waiting on You" being my favorite song from SWNT. I think this side of him is what makes Owusu special for me. He flexes his vocal muscles with a very gospel-sounding song, complete with choir in the background, but with the antithesis of the goals of church. He talks about searching for purpose through all the bullshit, but what's the point when we're all going to hell? And you know what, Genesis, if you're headlining, I will indeed see you there.

That's Life (A Swamp): My favorite track on this joint, and from here on every song is a banger. This is a two-part banger. The first part is groovy and funky, a fresh and modern take on a funk instrumental. It's fun, dancey, and optimistic. Then the song transitions and we crash back to reality. His voice literally drops in tone to something low and sad. I really like the way they bring the guitar back in at the end. It's chaotic and abrasive against the consistent key pattern.

Balthazar: On this album, Owusu has established that nothing is in our control. Well, if nothing is in our control, one school of thought says, "fuck it, nothing matters." Balthazar takes the opposite path: if it's out of my control, I can do whatever I want. Owusu sets up a duality against "See You There," which subscribes to the first school of thought and is much more slow and repressed. "Balthazar" is the flip side of the coin, "I'm the pride before the fall." I'm going to burn this shit down before it takes me down. To support that, he rides an aggressive punk instrumental with super catchy lyrics.

Stay Blessed: This is arguably the most optimistic and uplifting song on the album. You're still up against unbeatable forces, but here we're in it together. Kill one roach, it gets replaced with another. In a way, Owusu says we're all fighting an impossible battle, so stay blessed, you're not alone in it. Compared with "Balthazar," which was more rooted in punk, this one leans more toward traditional rock. Similar energy, but less angry and more positive, and I think that was an intentional choice.

What Comes Will Come: This is a very close second-favorite song off the album. In my opinion, this is how the album should have closed. It sums up the entire journey of the roach versus the old man. It's out of your hands, what comes will come, so just enjoy the journey for its ups and downs. But this song also mixes all my favorite sounds from Owusu plus a new one. When that breakbeat came on, shout out Queen Junglist Nia Archives, I was like, oh shit. Then the organ-synth thing comes through and I literally ascended.

Quotables

Leaving the Light:
"The planet might be burning down / Fuck it, I'll manage"

The Roach:
"Feeling like Gregor Samsa / A bug in the cog of a grey-walled cancer / I'm tryna break free with a penciled stanza / So are we human or are we dancer? / I'ma waste a life tryna chase an answer"

Tied Up:
"Cause, damn, what else can I do? / I can wait here for Godot or pick my legs up and move / They only let me whimper when I'm crying to a groove"

Balthazar:
"You don't like my alchemy / Well, I love you too"

Stay Blessed:
"Stay blessed, stay blessed / I done been a damn pest, now watch me sparkle"

What Comes Will Come:
"Boy I bathe in sin, and still I cast the first stone"

Stuck to the Fan:
"Stuck in limbo singing Timbo while I timber to the floor"

Conclusion

In a very stacked year for music, Struggler sits near the top of my albums from this year. For me, an artist's sophomore album is where they establish my long-term interest in them, because after all you have your whole life to make your debut and only a couple years to make a follow-up. Genesis Owusu lives rent-free in a top-floor apartment in my headspace. You can tell from the way he arranges his instrumentals, to the focused songwriting, to even his aesthetic choices for each album, that every choice around the music is so meticulously considered and purposeful.

Owusu does not use samples in his songs, and with his genre-bending style that leads to truly unique instrumental moments. We start the album with "Leaving the Light," a heavily produced cyberpunk song with thick synths, and then end with "Stuck to the Fan," a track much more rooted in R&B and soul, light in production, where Owusu's singing and rapping become the star. That is only a sample of the sounds on this album, but we also hear influences of punk, rock, pop, and of course breakbeats, each well executed and distinct. Vocally, Owusu shows a similar range, moving from strong high-pitch performances like "See You There" to deep, bass-filled croons on "Balthazar." He continues to prove that he is not just a talented singer or songwriter, or even composer, but a talented all-around musician.

I also wanted to shout out his ability to stick to a theme or concept. I am a sucker for conceptual albums and for records where songs flow into each other. So when you combine that with the album also being really fucking good, I was immediately bought in. With hip hop being my primary genre, I think it is super refreshing to hear an album that is this focused and cohesive, especially when so much mainstream music feels bloated and designed to land one single that carries the entire project.

Struggler is a great follow-up to SWNT, and off the back of this strong sophomore album I will be eagerly awaiting all future releases from Owusu. I also will think twice before smashing roaches. Overall, I give Struggler an 8.5/10.