Dallas-born musician Liv.e, recognized for collaborations with Earl Sweatshirt and Pink Siifu, has been putting out cloudy, funky recordings for the past few years. Her creations have grown in complexity and movement, but her soulful and extensive vocals are the anchor in her ever-evolving landscapes. One in particular—that plays with the power and seduction in both feminine and masculine energies—stands out. On “SirLadyMakemFall,” a track she released this past January, (Liv).e experiments with these perspectives of herself, flaunting her Texas roots, and exercising her power to meld these points of view into a refreshing, fluid light.
“SirLadyMakemFall” draws us in with a chugging beat, a hypnotic trot something like a shroom-induced horse ride, and an opalescent keyboard melody. The production has a lo-fi sheen, possibly an obscure sample for a catchy stringed melody; its a captivating hazy background for Liv.e to place saddle-gripping confidence next to intimate and affectionate love (“Lets keep it rocking long enough to our children see”). Her vocals range from a low-octave droop to a smooth glazed hum. They sometimes manifest into multitudes, intertwining with themselves mid-song; Around the same time, Liv.e changes from first person to third person narrative.
At first, it’s unclear if LadyMakemFall is passing the mic to another narrator, or if we’re lost in a psychedelic trip of vast perspectives for one story. But the song stems from a conversation she was having with herself. “‘SirLadyMakemFall’ started off as a conversation I was having with myself about how I would view myself from a feminine and masculine stand point,” she said of the song. “Hence ‘sir lady.’ Like what them boys gotta say about Liv? And what them girls gotta say?” Liv.e combines both masculine and feminine perspectives, but in the end she is her primary concern. “I don’t want to waste any more spells/in any one but myself,” she asserts while layered vocals fold in on themselves. A mindfuck of a song kept together by a leisurely swing.
Empty Stomach 