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In Time for Spring, 'Larva' Finds a Singer Reborn

Capturing all the magical madness associated with the first warm days of spring, Georgia Anne Muldrow's "Larva" brims with so much optimism and anxious energy that it barely contains itself. Overstuffed with quizzical messages, multi-layered melodies, and dense harmonies, the song weaves those ingredients together to form an opaque but cohesive soundscape.

Surrounded by skipping hip-hop beats, voluminous bass, and swirling synths, Muldrow's sense of lyricism is almost blinding. Her eyebrow-raising verses touch on themes of reflection, redemption, and reincarnation -- "Butterflies only appear when the caterpillar looks inside," goes one line -- that keep listeners guessing and thinking.

Muldrow composed and performed all of the music on her debut EP, Worthnothings. In light of her established alliances with other funk-forward groups (SA-RA Creative Partners, Platinum Pied Pipers), the gutsy ingenuity of "Larva" isn't a surprise. It's just an enchanting moment from an enormously promising young talent.

Listen to yesterday's 'Song of the Day'.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

John Murph
John Murph writes about music and culture and works as a web producer for BETJazz.com. He also contributes regularly to The Washington Post Express, JazzTimes, Down Beat, and JazzWise magazines.