
PHNTM050
Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals
4th April 2025
A City Drowned in God's Black Tears
"They thrive on the chaos of an unforgiving world."
Pitchfork
"The sound of Ice Cube blasting out of a boombox before the police show up"
Loud and Quiet
"The poster boys for alternative and experimental hip-hop."
The Quietus
Acclaimed Baltimore experimental hip-hop duo Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals return with vital new album A City Drowned in God's Black Tears, an incendiary, irresistible rap record that marries unflinching discourse with bold and unpredictable production.
“The bitch that got Emmett Till killed just died, and I PRAY that it was painful as fuck.”
Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals embody this ethos of cutting through pretence with their raw, unfiltered creativity and incisive commentary. Known for their boundary-pushing DIY approach, the duo has achieved a cult-level following in experimental hip-hop, blending chaotic, genre-defying production with unapologetic social critique and dark humour.
Almost entirely fuelled by word of mouth, their 2022 album King Cobra earned Album of the Year from Loud and Quiet and landed among SPIN Magazine’s Top 5 Albums of the Year. The record, a fusion of ruthless lyrical indictments and omnivorous, experimental production, firmly established them as leaders in the underground hip-hop scene, proving that true innovation can thrive even in an industry rife with nepotism.
Their latest collaborative album, A City Drowned in God's Black Tears, was a gruelling labour of frustration and chaos. Originally conceived as an EP, the project unexpectedly expanded into a fully realised album as setbacks piled up. The loss of critical sound files forced them to painstakingly recreate what they’d already built, a process that drained both time and morale. Add mental health struggles and the deaths of close friends to the mix, and the project felt less like a creative process and more like a fight to survive. The entire experience was marked by stress, exhaustion, and a palpable sense of frustration that hung over every session.
A pivotal figure in shaping A City Drowned in God's Black Tears was Frankie Malvaiz (known as FRANKI3), whose guidance during the mixing process and innovative approach to sound design proved invaluable. Her cosy basement studio became ground zero for the album’s creation, a place where the chaos could at least be contained. FRANKI3 took on a huge share of the workload, handling microphones, experimenting with unconventional techniques, and diving headfirst into the mess alongside the duo.
One of the album’s standout elements—its experimental and layered sound—wouldn’t have existed without her. FRANKI3 designed and built many of the Eurorack modules used throughout the project, some from DIY kits and others from scratch using motherboards. These modules unlocked sounds that hadn’t even been imagined which brought a raw, unpredictable energy to the record. It was an experimental, messy process, driven more by hunger and stubborn determination than any sense of triumph. Her creativity with mic placements, mixing techniques, and gear tinkering gave the album its character and edge.
Thematically, the album dives headfirst into the grotesque tragedies of today, from the violence of late-stage capitalism to the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians, while reflecting on the duo’s own mental health struggles. The lyrics in the single "Sometimes, Papi Chulo" capture this raw intensity, combining grim humour and bleak truths in lines like: "Sometimes you say fuck and don’t pay back your friends / Sometimes life don’t give a chance to make amends / Sometimes you raise your kids right / They come out fucked / Sometimes you throw the perfect punch / And that cat still duck."
The track balances gallows humour with existential dread, culminating in the refrain: "Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry / But in the end it don’t matter 'cause you still gotta die."
Initially intended to be less political, A City Drowned in God's Black Tears became a poignant reflection of the current state of the world. The duo, wary of being pigeonholed as solely political artists, found themselves compelled by global tragedies and systemic violence to create a record that speaks truth to power while staying true to their ethos.
At the heart of their work is the tension that fuels their partnership—a creative process defined by playful clashes and relentless experimentation. They aren’t afraid to push boundaries or each other, crafting music that is visceral, challenging, and deeply personal. “Sometimes it’s not about making the perfect track; it’s about making the one that makes us laugh, cry, or think,” Ennals reflects.
Their dynamic also extends to their personalities: Ennals keeps up with pop culture, while Ravelomanana jokes that he’s a “hipster” with little to no knowledge of modern music or celebrities. Instead, Infinity Knives could ramble on about Philip Glass, OutKast, or Sparklehorse—an idiosyncratic blend of influences that shapes their unique sound.