What does it mean to be a global citizen when there is so much suffering in the world? That is the question LTMAA took into “Pain of Us,” released on September 7th. The Washington, D.C. artist wrote it about global and collective trauma, and she describes it as a call to expand our circles of concern. Her inspirations include seeing the National Guard on DC streets and the pain around genocide, and the way narratives about it can be used to silence the truth.
I always get excited for trip-hop and Massive Attack-inspired music, because I know I’ll be in for a groovy treat and incredible sound design, and “Pain of Us” delivers on exactly that. The sound design is built around two key instruments. Omar Waqar, who co-produced the track with Eddie Grey, plays electric sitar, which the project describes as the ache of the song, while Grey’s bass guitar acts as its heartbeat. Over that foundation sit LTMAA‘s haunting, textured vocals and a downtempo trip-hop pulse, with warmth from alt-R&B and future-soul grooves running through it. The mood is late-night, intimate and cinematic, with piano adding another layer.
The influences are named plainly: FKA Twigs, Portishead, Sade, Sneaker Pimps, Massive Attack and Morcheeba. That lineage fits a song that carries heavy subject matter inside a groove that stays accessible. LTMAA says that while the song confronts pain and suffering, it is ultimately about hope.
The track also draws on LTMAA‘s own history. LTMAA is the project of Lynn, the former lead singer of Bebek, an experimental indie band active in Philadelphia’s underground scene in the early 2000s. After stepping away from band life, she spent years refining her craft and working in trauma research, which now feeds directly into her songwriting. “Pain of Us” is the first release from her debut solo project and from a forthcoming five-track EP exploring trauma, collective pain and hope. With the EP still to come, this marks a return after years away, and for fans of trip-hop’s darker, groove-led side, it’s well worth hearing.