E (Ecco2K album)

E (stylized as an estimated sign, ℮) is the debut studio album by Swedish-British singer Ecco2K. A surprise album, it was released on 27 November 2019 through Year0001. Previously known for his work on other people's projects, Ecco2K began working on the album after leaving his day job at Eytys. It was recorded across multiple cities and executive-produced by Gud and Whitearmor. Musically, multiple reviewers noted the album's contrast with Ecco2K's previous works, in addition to its futuristic sound and personal lyrical themes. Reviewers described E as bringing Ecco2K into the spotlight, and The Fader said it was a "standout release" for 2019.

Background and release
Before the release of E, Ecco2K had maintained a "mysterious" figure. Releasing music under that pseudonym since 2013, he was known for his participation on other people's projects, including as a member of Drain Gang, as the creative director of Yung Lean and as the music video editor of Yves Tumor. Ecco2K described the winter of 2018, when the album was still in its early stages, as "a period of rapid growth and self-discovery"; he had just left his day job as a designer and photo retoucher at Eytys. Following this, he learned to prioritise self-care in his creative practice.

E was recorded in Stockholm, Berlin, Los Angeles, London, Falun, and Bangkok. Ecco2K had to purposefully seclude himself from collaborators and friends. He described the process as "the first time where [he] started to get assisted". The album was executive-produced by Gud and Whitearmor. It was preceded by singles "AAA Powerline" and "Fruit Bleed Juice", with the latter receiving a music video. E was released on 27 November 2019. After the album's release, Ecco2K toured Europe. On 29 January 2020, he released a music video "Peroxide", which was recorded at the Lillgrund Wind Farm. On 30 July, he released a music video for "Security!".

Composition
Multiple critics noted that E demonstrated a change from Ecco2K's previous rap and hip hop productions;  Pitchfork Nadine Smith and a writer from Dazed described it as contemporary pop, with Smith adding that "this is the Stockholm rap scene's most explicit stab at pop yet". Yannik Gölz of laut.de said that it is "hip-hop so deconstructed that it almost sounds like experimental ambient". Other reviewers found the album futuristic. David Crone of AllMusic wrote that E consolidated the futuristic sound Ecco2K was developing that decade, while Gölz described it as an "[e]xciting fusion of hip-hop and futuristic electronic". Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop described it as futuristic and "new age-y", blending elements from Yung Lean's Unknown Death 2002, trap, art pop, glitch, experimental electronic, and PC Music aesthetics. The Quietus Zac Cazes highlighted the album's balance between psychedelic electronica and dream pop. Laird Borrelli-Persson of Vogue said that, despite its "atmospheric production", "this isn't music for somnambulists; there's a sense of urgency even to the dreamy tracks". Jordan Darville of The Fader described E as a "project of subliminal bangers", with a feel that was "regal-yet-desolate, like a marble sculpture of some unspeakable tragedy".

Laird Borrelli-Persson of Vogue noted that, while E addresses universal topics, the album is highly personal. Thomas Sobolik of The Face said that E feels like a direct connection to Ecco2K's thoughts, with vivid lyrics and honest delivery. He further added that the songs address "romantic longing, substance abuse, insomnia and existential dread in a redemptive arc delivered through oblique lyrics that follow their own dream logic". Fantano described the songwriting as "impressionistic". Nöjesguiden writer Levi Hielle-Bergstrom noted the album's contrasts, including the [e]nchanting melodies and experimental productions [that] coexist with fragile lyrics" and the "[c]ute love declarations [that] are mixed with macabre descriptions of destructiveness, making the beautiful presentation conditional". Similarly, Gölz said that the album, while minimalistic, "still manages to operate with maximalist sensory overload". According to Borrelli-Persson, the lyrics explore the differences between perception and reality, including the differences between people's social and inner selves. Smith felt that the lyrics "twinge with anguish and self-loathing". Borrelli-Persson said that, although Ecco2K has embraced his differences as strengths, he reveals his vulnerability in these tracks. Zac Cazes of The Quietus noted that Ecco2K sings in "an impossibly high autotuned falsetto", with Gölz saying that Ecco2K's "quirky, weightless helium voice" is central to E.

Songs
E begins with "AAA Powerline", which centers around the repeated line "Zip-tied up / Can't move my arms." Smith described it as an example of a track on the album with "phrases repeated like fading memories turned over and over again in your mind". The second track, "Peroxide", is a futuristic pop song where Ecco2k ruminates on his skin color. Sobolik wrote that the track establishes the foundation for E "bracing self-portrayal", with "Ecco [baring] Arogundade's early encounters with otherness". According to Sobolik, Ecco2k narrates his deep, anxious confusion, but ultimately embraces his strength, singing: "No peroxide, I stay dark." Smith said that the line "They all stare at me / I don't care at all" demonstrates Ecco2K's self-acceptance and commitment to self-expression. The next song is "Fragile", which Fantano described as the most new age inspired song on the album with its "gorgeous and pristine layers of synths". He also described its lyrics, "Wake up, happy, wash my face in acid / I'm glassy, shattered, wrapped in bubble plastic / I'm fragile, wash my hands in gasoline / Matches and kerosene, please handle me carefully", as "disturbing and surreal". The fourth track, "Bliss Fields", is not a song, but a "skit" or interlude,  where Ecco2K says: "I feel like I'm flying and sinking at the same time. Like I'm being pulled from below and from above. In every direction, at once." This was "a phrase [taken] directly from a late-night Notes app diary session".

"Fruit Bleed Juice" is E fifth track and, according to Gölz, it is a "disoriented", "field recording piece" that "feels more like POV cinema from an extravagant high than like a song". The subsequent song, "Cc", contains a "futuristic trap beat that's so cold it's sub-zero", according to Fantano, while also presenting Ecco2K's vocals in a glitchy manner. On "Calcium", E seventh track, Ecco2K blends light rapping with pop-punk vocal elements over beats reminiscent of Charli XCX's style; Smith felt that the track could have a mainstream appeal. It is followed by "Sugar & Diesel", a "traditional rap cut" according to Gölz, and then by "Don't Ask". On "Security!", the album's tenth track, Ecco2K's expresses his internal struggles, lamenting, "Every time I look in the mirror I see monsters," and yearning to hide an inner perceived ugliness: "How did you get so perfect? / I wish that I was perfect." "Time", according to Gölz, is one of the "most danceable electronic beats" on the album and offers Ecco2K "a conclusion for the excursions into hedonism, self-destruction, and excess"; after repeating, "almost to ecstasy", the line "The time won't stop", Ecco2K sings: "I wish I fall, I sink through the floor / Unless I lost I lose nothing more / The more I want, the more loses all / The will is lost, I will kiss the gods". Fantano described it as containing "slightly aggressive rap flows" and intelligent dance music-like "glistening layers of electronics". Borrelli-Persson said that it "evokes the sweaty, beyond-tired feeling of a magical night fading into [the] morning". On "Blue Eyes", the album's final track in its standard edition, Ecco2K addresses the white Swedish gaze, singing: "All my friends got blue eyes", while distorted screams serve as the backing vocals.

Critical reception
Some reviewers described E as bringing Ecco2K into the spotlight, while Thomas Sobolik of The Face said that "E is Arogundade's first definitive musical statement, an album that recounts life-spanning experiences and molds the cloud-rap and electronic sounds he and his friends pioneered into a palate that's distinctly his". Nöjesguiden writer Levi Hielle-Bergstrom said that "E is brilliant in its peculiarity", adding that "E ventures into unexplored domains and shows that Ecco2k is a true visionary".

Commenting on Ecco2K's mystery figure, Zac Cazes wrote to The Quietus that E "does little to dispel the artist's sense of mystery", while also highlighting its varied production and praising it as Gud and Whitearmor's "most accomplished effort". Yannik Gölz of laut.de described it as "[a] unique and gripping album that, once you get into it, becomes one of the most compelling listening experiences". Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop felt that E had more potential, with some songs feeling one-dimensional, though recognizing that the album had some "beautiful" sounds and ideas. In retrospect, Jordan Darville of The Fader described E as "a standout release of 2019".

Personnel

 * Gud – executive production, mixing
 * Robin Schmidt – mastering
 * Zak Arogundade – creative direction, art direction
 * Victor Svedberg – additional layouting
 * Daniel Sannwald – photography