Spurgeon R. Carter, III's first EP as Aliese is an all-encompassing study of revolution - personal, relational, and, ultimately, societal.
Are You Good? dissects and examines its theme through singles: “If You Have To Go”, a breakbeat-driven track pulsing with the spirit of Tame Impala—if Kevin Parker were an angry Black man; “All Good”, a N.E.R.D. tinged psych-rock anthem urging us to question our reverence for institutions; as well as “Cataracts” a mantra-like demonstration of the power of personal revolution that pays homage to 20th-century sound artists like Laurie Anderson, Alvin Lucier, and Steve Reich.
Taking liberties with the term 'extended play,' Are You Good? concludes with an ambitiously theatrical 26-minute opus titled “~”. Galloping through genres - rock, jazz, drill, ambient, musique concrete and more - Aliese's long offering brings home the EP's premise by centering a darkly humorous yet pertinent conversation that may just be the antidote to our dying society.