Femdot • to(u)
Words by Grant Lindburg
Cold has finally begun to strike the great city of Chicago. The long overdue, North Face-sheering winds of Lake Michigan bring Old Man Winter upon us. Luckily, Femdot has dropped a new project just in time to keep things fireplace-adjacent. As for what's happening on the rug in front of that glorious blaze... listen above.
The four-story, common-thread EP *to(u).* (complements of the fictitious Double-U Double-F L radio) is a good fit for the season, regardless of whether you've cuffed that significant other yet. Femi glides between trials and tribulations over the subject matter of various "situationships", addressing respective (u)'s from "theonebckntheday" to "theoneoutsouth". The emotional stability behind his approach to dealing with the fairer sex steadily grows as the EP progresses. What starts with a reminiscence for young lust becomes well-traveled. In "totheonebckntheday", a suave slow(er) jam reminds everyone what it's like to ask "what if?" about the one that got off easy. A little help from D.Phelps pumps the emphasis for those that "just wanna be your man".
Further along, we encounter moments of loss, exploration, and various temptations in between. There's a similar theme shared between "totheoneinthesnow" / "totheoneovrthere", despite the fact that they focus on two possible outcomes of the same intention. The former: infatuation with someone Femi was once intertwined with. That gone-past, once-had, but no more kind of connection. Moving on fends off separation anxiety. The latter: infatuation with someone new. "Can you get wit it? It's like that." Femdot gets eloquent while elaborating on the hook from there, and the up and down swing of Shaan Mehta's beat pulls no punches.
But self-assurance, alongside the idea that complicated often comes with a greater understanding of both the good and the bad, culminate in a fourth track that may well be his most poignant track to date. We come all the way from "what if" to a more mature musing - "what if it's worth it regardless?" Despite the occasional (or even frequent) bullshit, some things might still be worth pursing. History often overtakes the soundest of logic and reason, especially when there's a long, cold season ahead. D.Phelps and Mike Wavvs airy outro leaves ample room for the listener to decide that answer for themselves.
