Career Girls is the electronic alias of Lawrence Goodwin. At just 19 years old, Goodwin is part of an emerging generation of young, internet savvy bedroom producers whose school years happened to coincide with a resurgence in electronic music. His latest album, Daz Yarn Combo, is very much a product of its time and is distinctly modern music crafted with an innate appreciation of electronica.
In what has become a homogenized mixture of genres, the music of Career Girls is a bit of an oddity. It's a little too up-tempo to be conducive to a slow head nod and far too spastic for most fans of sun drenched hip hop. In terms of reference points, Flying Lotus’s ‘Pattern Grid World’ is a good place to start but an obsession with Swedish scwee music and funk means Career Girls often ends up in unchartered territory.
Daz Yarn Combo’s lofty production ambitions are tempered with a wicked sense of humour. Goodwin’s choice of samples is gloriously irreverent. From Animal Collective to Britney Spears to System of a Down, nothing is off limits and nothing is sacred.
The album gets off to a hilarious start as a robotic voice greets the listener with, “would you like a drink?” It’s not all fun and games though - as soon as the beat drops, it’s clear that Goodwin means business. It’s a worthy introduction to Career Girls’ aggressive, choppy approach to beat making. At times it’s clear that Goodwin has his tongue firmly nestled in his cheek. ‘Funky Music Time’ with its vocal hook, “girl – you’ve got a sexy body”, leaves you with the impression that Goodwin just couldn’t help himself.
On Daz Yarn Combo the focus is less about creating a coherent collection of songs than it is about showcasing a range of ideas and genres. There are moments when the eclectic approach is reminiscent of Prefuse 73’s ‘Everything she touched turned ampexian’. In terms of sheer production value, Daz Yarn Combo is nothing if not impressive. A refusal to follow the path of least resistance seems to be a reoccurring factor in Goodwin’s repertoire to date and you get the impression he's not one to rest on his laurels.
Above all, Daz Yarn Combo marks the evolution of an accomplished producer and a name to watch out for. If the album is the work of Goodwin at 19, one can only imagine the caliber of music we have to look forward to in the future.
