This Black History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays, interviews, reviews, poetry, playlists, and more features in recognition of, and out of respect for the symbolism and significance of this month.
Today, Motown Records signed rapper/singer TheHxliday goes track-by-track through his visceral sophomore EP BatBxy as a part of Atwood Magazine’s Black History Month series. Hailing from Baltimore, 19-year-old TheHxliday embraces a special “sad boy” ethos with his hybrid emo-trap sound. Releasing music for years on SoundCloud, he enjoyed breakout success with his 2018 single “Enemy,” and subsequently caught the attention of tastemakers and labels alike. He re-released January 2020’s debut EP Broken Halls with Motown Records in September of that year, and promptly followed it up with the six-track BatBxy at the top of 2021.
Specially released on New Year’s Day, BatBxy is an intimate and emotional overhaul showcasing TheHxliday’s stirring musicality and evocative, vulnerable lyricism. Songs like opener “NxBody,” “LxneChild,” and the moody anti-drug anthem “Thank U” highlight the artist’s penchant for dwelling in intense moments of truth, whereas tracks like the achingly raw “Batgirl” and buoyant, lighter “Laugh a Little” embrace his sincere artistic approach and heart-on-sleeve songwriting. Closing the EP is the soulfully sweet “Bad,” a bright standout that dabbles in buoyant R&B melodies, with jazzy piano chords and groovy, bubbling bass notes driving BatBxy to its tender, cathartic conclusion.
“‘Batbxy’ is about my past experiences from last year. I dropped it on New Year’s Day to show that I’m leaving those experiences behind and moving onto new and better things.” – TheHxliday
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:: stream/purchase BayBxy EP here ::
Stream: ‘BatBxy’ – TheHxliday
:: Inside BatBxy ::
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NxBody
“NxBody” is a thought that I have of not trusting anybody. It’s a song that explains that idea. It’s a way of me talking about it to my fans.
Laugh a Little
“Laugh A Little” is just a fun song. It’s a vibe to just make people happy. When I made the song I was happy as hell and my team was happy in the studio too. The song is about positivity.
Thank U
“Thank U” is a song to wake people up about the issue of drug abuse. I wanted to show people that you don’t need drugs. You can just be yourself. There are better things to do with your time.
LxneChild
“LnxeChild” is just me on my funk vibes. I’m just flexing about the good things in my life. It’s a lot more casual.
Batgirl
“Batgirl” is a song I made for my girlfriend at the time. It’s a personal song but it’s also something that I feel people can use to express how they feel in their relationships.
Bad
“Bad” is an experimental way of me diving into a more poppy side.
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:: stream/purchase BayBxy EP here ::
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? © Travis Shinn
:: TheHxliday ::
