The gateway to E3 is forged by midwxst’s willginess to wear his heart on his sleeve — letting the sounds of his cinematic debut album be the guide for endless expression. Striving to bottle up the feelings he has inside, E3 sees Edgar blaze onward from the love-torn flames that have burnt him in the past. Simply put, this is his superstar effort, unrelenting in personality and poise; rising to the occasion.
Sharing lead singles in “Pretty Girls” (July 7) and “warning” (Aug. 4), the Indiana-born singer-rapper continues to illustrate he resides in a niche all his own. With 12 tracks and highlights in “old me,” “heartache blues” and “ball and chain,” among others, a brooding photo dump initially rang in E3’s rollout. Midwxst tells us the record has been years in the making — stemming from a slew of archived cuts and EPs he’s dropped in the interim.
“I just want people to understand that I went through a lot of the shit I am expressing on this album… And yeah I went through it, and yeah it hurt, but it made me grow and become who I am today. And I wouldn’t trade any of that pain or any of that loss for anything.”
Midwxst via release
As the “final nail in the coffin,” Midwxst sent out a final warning to naysayers with a blitzing array of distorted melodies and seething autotune bars. “Say you’re right when you’re wrong / You been grinding my bones,” he sing-raps on “warning” — keeping E3’s outdoor theme in tact with another music video shot in the woods. This is E3’s allure according to Edgar: “Fresh, natural and organic.”
The Indiana-bred singer-rapper has been on the fast track to mainstream prominence since the release of SUMMER03 and BACK IN ACTION in 2021. Followed by acclaimed mixtapes in better luck next time and BIA 3.0, the 20-year-old future star’s last single “clair” with UK trendsetter skaiwater has fed fans in his full-length absence. However, E3 already feels grander and greater than any of midwxst’s prior projects, sharing its cinematic cover art on July 12.
“This album rollout has been in my head since I was 17. I have a full notepad in my phone with the script for the interludes on the project and the ideas that eventually became ‘E3’… ‘Pretty Girls’ is the first look into the world of ‘E3’ by bringing flaws humans look past while being in love to the forefront of the conversation. That’s established across the entire body of work. The album is an emotional journey through the mistakes I’ve made as a person and that ‘E3,’ the protagonist of the story, is constantly facing and having to finally come to terms with.”
Midwxst to OGM on his debut album
Off the heels of collaborations with CITYISLAND (“witmygang”) and San Holo (“Out Of Options), “Pretty Girls” was the hyperpop-rap phenom’s first solo effort since “Tally” with Denzel Curry in January. The track sees midwxst dig deeper into his patented mixed bag of pop and rap, toeing the line between both genres — and many more — on the emotionally-crooned cut. Heavy rock guitars cascade in between midwxst’s sultry hook: “I’m stuck on all the love you gave me / Pretty Girls will drive you crazy.”
Blending sounds is his forte, and E3 proves to be the culmination of peak music and heartbreak; a sweet spot for the emo-rap adjacent star. His sound is unwavering, just like the loyalty of his fan base. Earmarked by undoubted waves of consistency and authenticity, E3 etches Edgar’s name alongside the bona fide voices of our generation — more so than he already has.
Catch ‘E3’ live as Midwxst embarks on his headlining 25-date ‘E3 Tour’ this Fall.
Listen to ‘E3’ below!
