digital druglord

Ever since he helped Justin Bieber discover a more adult sound by cowriting his 2012 hit “Boyfriend,” California artist blackbear has used his own stormy productions to explore spacey alt-R&B, dark piano pop, and blurry hip-hop noir. On his third album, digital druglord, he sounds more wounded than ever. Bitter opener “Hell Is Where I Dreamt of U and Woke Up Alone” finds him decrying a crumbling relationship over stark acoustic piano, and “Moodz” contrasts moody synths with fingersnaps and skewered backing vocals.