Milwaukee is a city that seemingly has new talented musicians emerging and gaining traction seemingly every week. There are definitely more eyes on the Milwaukee music scene than ever before, with the city starting to make a name for itself as a prominent music hub nationally. Eli $tones is an artist who has been at the forefront of this burgeoning Milwaukee music scene for several years. He was one of the first artists in recent history to see some success in underground music forums, and he has helped the world see that Milwaukee has so much to offer regarding its music. Eli $tones first started to see success when his Star67 EP started to see success online in 2020. After releasing a slew of stand-alone singles throughout 2021, he released back his debut album, $ticks & $tones in 2022. This was easily one of my favorite projects dropped by any Milwaukee artist in 2022, and I highly encourage you to go read my review of that project and listen to that album if you have not done so yet. After taking the rest of 2022 to hone his craft, Eli $tones came back with an entirely different sound in 2023. Before this point, his music had an R&B/Hip Hop fusion element to it that was reminiscent of Drake. In 2023, Eli $tones leaned into the increasingly popular HyperPop-infused Hip Hop sound, dropping a few singles with a unique and distinctive feeling that shows how much Eli $tones is growing as an artist. Eli $tones has begun 2024 with a new project called Absolutely Not which is driven by his new sound. Here is how I feel about that project. Please let me know in the comments below what you think of Eli $tones’ Absolutely Not, and also comment the names of some other independent artists you think I should check out.
Eli $tones gets Absolutely Not going with the title track. ‘ABSOLUTELYNOT’ was released as a single last June, and it is a track that I covered when I wrote about Eli $tones’ new tracks a couple of months ago. I have to say, as much as I appreciated this track when it came out, it has grown on me even more in the months since I first heard it. I really dig the melancholy and wispy Pop-Punk guitar riff that drives this melody. When paired with the Jersey Club music-inspired music beat this track has, it makes this song so exciting. As cool as the instrumental is for ‘ABSOLUTELYNOT,’ the best thing about this song is its vocals. The way Eli $tones strains his vocals makes his emotion so palpable and makes the track hit so hard. ‘ABSOLUTELYNOT’ is a thrilling way to start this project. ‘Bad Dream’ is a song that feels inspired by the polarizing HyperPop group 100 gecs. When I listen to this track, I think of (in my opinion) excellent 2023 album 10000 gecs. This song is driven by a chunky and heavy guitar riff that has a raucous Emo-Rock feeling that I appreciate a lot. This melody is put on top of an intricate and ever-changing beat that gives the song so many different vibrant and interesting textures. Eli $tones’ vocal performance on ‘Bad Dream’ is just as lively as the instrumental, helping the weighty feeling of the melody make a huge impact. ‘Bad Dream’ is a super entertaining take on the Pop-Punk-infused HyperPop sound 100 gecs has become known for. ‘Simon Says’ is an extremely distinct song that is not only unlike any of the first two tracks, it is unlike anything I have heard before in general. It is a track that fuses some of the R&B Trap music that Eli $tones has been more known for making the last couple of years and the Emo Rock/Pop-Punk sounds he has been diving into over the last year or so. The melody for ‘Simon Says’ is literally like an R&B version of Pop-Punk music. Somehow, its tone makes me think of both of these genres, sort of in the way that 24kGoldn was doing when he first popped off a couple of years ago. The beat for ‘Simon Says’ has a Pop-Trap tempo and feeling for most of the track, with a HyperPop sound being jammed into the beat for a brief section of the instrumental. Because of the abrupt beat change this track has, it keeps the listener on their toes, making the track super hard-hitting and engaging. Eli $tones sing-raps with the sort of tone and flow that one may expect from him if they have heard some of his old music. I like how he switches his flow when the beat switches, as he keeps up with the energy of the beat as it constantly morphs. ‘Simon Says’ may be a very short track(1:44), but it sure packs a hell of a punch because of how textured it is.
‘100 Band$,’ which features Sunny Lou, was released as a single back in the spring of 2023. This track was Eli $tones’ first venture into the Pop-Punk-infused HyperPop music that has become a staple in his sound over the last year or so. This is a song that seamlessly fuses Emo-Trap music and HyperPop-Punk. The melody for this track is driven by a gloomy Emo-Rock guitar riff that is saturated with blaring synths. This melody is put on top of a constantly changing beat, which goes back and forth between upbeat Pop music and laid-back Trap music. Similar to the previous track, ‘100 Band$’ has so much texture due to how complex its beat is. I really enjoy both of the vocal performances on this track, but I have to say Sunny Lou stands out. I enjoy how rambunctious his tone is due to his range and the autotune that is put on his vocals. ‘100 Band$’ was a successful first foray into this kind of music for Eli $tones, and it proved he could be very good at making this kind of music. ‘Drop Dead’ is a song with a totally different sound from the tracks that precede it. It does follow the melancholy Rock theme that we have heard up until this point, but the melody that drives this track has a lot more of a gritty and funky tone to it. The guitar riff that drives this track has a Southern Funk element that feels old school; it has the kind of sound that will give the listener the “stank face” when they hear it. The beat for this track is also way different than any of the songs before it. It fuses modern Pop-Trap music with 2010s Indie Rock in a way that is unique and fun. This beat gives equal parts Walk The Moon and iann dior, and I think that is pretty cool. I will say Eli $tones’ vocals on this song are not especially riveting, but they are still solid. I especially love his backing vocals on this track, as they make the melody feel more full. ‘Drop Dead’ is a song that shows yet another side to Eli $tones that I have not heard yet and appreciate a ton. ‘Let You Go’ takes elements from the early 2000s-inspired Pop-Punk we have gotten throughout this record and the 2010s Indie Rock we got on the last track. The guitar riff that drives this melody has an Emo Rock/Pop-Punk sound that is bright yet downtrodden at the same time, which is an interesting juxtaposition. The beat for this has a pretty standard 2010s-style Indie Pop-Rock sound, once again reminiscent of bands like Walk The Moon or Neon Trees. Like the previous song, the main vocals on ‘Let You Go’ are understated, but the dynamic and rangey backing vocals that complement the main vocals and add to the melody truly make this song pop. ‘Let You Go’ provides a bit of nostalgia for two different kinds of 2000s Pop-Rock music, and that is pretty awesome. Eli $tones closes out Absolutely Not on a pretty intense note with the track ‘FML.’ Everything about this track goes hard. The warm yet pensive melody is heavily distorted and saturated in a way that makes it feel so huge and powerful. Like multiple other moments on this project, this song has a beat that is elaborate and ever-changing. Throughout the track, the beat switches back and forth from upbeat HyperPop and hard-hitting Trap music. This ever-changing beat makes this song super riveting and enthralling. ‘FML’ may contain my favorite vocal performance of the project, which is saying a lot. Eli $tones’ vocals on this track are just as emotional and intense as the instrumental, washing the listener over with the sentiment of the track. Eli closes out Absolutely Not on a massive note with ‘FML,’ and he may have saved the best for last with this track.
Eli $tones is an musician who is constantly changing and reinventing himself. This has always been one of my favorite things about Eli $tones; as someone who has followed his journey for years, I have always appreciated how he is willing to take risks and show how multi-faceted he is as an artist. On Absolutely Not, he goes in directions with his sound I would have never expected having been a fan of his for a while, and it completely pays off. I love how modern this project sounds; although it takes elements from various kinds of retro music, these elements are arranged to make Absolutely Not feel so fresh. Absolutely Not is a great project from one of Milwaukee’s best artists, and it gets the music year for Milwaukee started on an awesome note.
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