After signing with Interscope Records, genre-bending trap artist Yoshi Flower unleashed his creative voice with his latest mixtape - "PEER PLEASURE," out today. It's filled with catchy beats that are impossible to forget paired with deep, thought-evoking lyrics.
Odyssey: With the release of the "PEER PLEASURE" mixtape, how would you say your style has evolved since the early days of being compared to Lana Del Rey?
Yoshi Flower: I'm always evolving or else I'd be dying. I think each project is a snapshot of me at that point and time. I don't want to compare myself to anything, I want to just keep pushing. If the day comes when I can fully articulate my true self with 0% deviation, then I will be happy.
O: Where does the title "PEER PLEASURE" come from? (If it's the line "Don't you want to be happy, everybody's doing it?" I'm picking up what you're putting down. But please elaborate as much as you want!)
YF: "PEER PLEASURE" is about the human condition. We are constantly programmed to try to find happiness and we are given a lot of standard options of finding it. We are pressured to find pleasure from our peers. The thing is that its all fiction. None of it is based on biological truths. I've realized that if we try to find validation in outside sources then I am limited, if we find validation in my soul then my opportunities are infinite.
O: For me, "space" is the most captivating because, underneath the extra-terrestrial wordplay and the glitchy beats, there are a lot of vulnerable lyrics about your inner demons. What was your concept behind this track?
YF: The concept is about exactly that, inner conflict and demons. I sometimes feel like I have memories that are in my brain but I can't quite place them, they give me the impression that I was a different way or a different soul, sometimes I feel like I am fighting against them I want to find out what it would be like to talk with that person and it gives me a sense of fear and exhilaration. We all have our demons and we all have our ways of dealing with them.
O: Who were your main influences? I'm definitely hearing a lot of similarities to Jesse Rutherford. What specific ideas were inspired by these influences?
YF: My main influences are hip hop and rock from across the decades. I was listening to Paul Simon and Kendrick a lot. Jesse is a great friend and an incredible artist.
O: Do you have a track off the mixtape that means the most to you or shows your true self the most?
YF: I think the coupling of "validation" and "empty" encapsulate the essence of this tape lyrically. I really like car and house both tonally and lyrically because it really has me singing. I don't have one certain tune off of it yet that sticks out, its always easier to reflect when I get some real space away from it.
O: What did working on this mixtape teach you about yourself, and what do you want listeners to learn from it?
YF: I've learned that the world still turns no matter what. No matter who you love, what you do, how you fail, how you suffer and please yourself....no matter what. Do with it what you want!
You can catch Yoshi Flower at this year's Lollapalooza! Buy tickets here.
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