Album Review: Macy Rodman – “Unbelievable Animals”

On her new album Unbelievable Animals, Macy Rodman pushes pop to its limits, exploring the fascinating spaces where things start to warp as the form breaks down. In a genre often populated by fresh-faced teens singing songs about innocent crushes, Rodman stands out, using her experience as a drag performer and comedian to craft a unique blend of complexly sexual, darkly comedic pop that draws sonically from some of the most slappin’ club music from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early ‘00s.

Central to this soundscape is Rodman’s unmistakable voice, which warbles and bends, growls and rises, often sounding as though it’s fighting against the normalizing confines of the heavily-applied autotune. This vocal tension evokes larger strains between the manicured ideal of pop-star feminine sexuality and the vastly more complex spectrum of sexual identities as they exist in the sweaty reality of nightclubs around the world. It’s that complexity that Rodman seeks to examine—and it’s important work with heavy implications, though she does it with a nod to the humor of it all. “He’s so hot/I’m not his type/but there’s some chemistry between us tonight,” she croons on her earworm of a second single, “Rock and Roll Gay Guy”; and for at least as long as the record spins, we feel it too.

Keep an eye out for Unbelievable Animals out August 27th.