“What the album means to me isn’t easily summed up. It’s as complete a picture to me as we are able to give of the past couple years of our lives. It’s what we’ve learned and what we’ve gone through. Each album is that, but each album is a different point in time and a result of everything that came before it, like its creators. To be honest, the only thing people can learn to expect from this band is that they can’t expect anything at all.”
This sentimental statement comes from vocalist, Pierce “a.k.a. Moneynicca, a.k.a. $$$Nigga” Jordan, of Philadelphian hardcore punk band Soul Glo about what their highly anticipated album Diaspora Problems, released in March on Epitaph Records, means to him.
Jordan, first and foremost, is a man of many traits, ambitions, and aspirations. He describes himself as “passive, sensitive, obsessive, and optimistic.” It goes without saying that Jordan makes sure to represent “myself and my own experience” through his efforts of creativity. All of this is painted vividly and proved true throughout the project. From the opening track “Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass)” to the ending track “Spiritual Level of Gang Shit,” the album is a ride you won’t want to get off of.
The name of the band serves as not only a cinematic reference from Coming to America, but also how “the band is a representation of our innermost selves,” Jordan says. “It’s about sharing and communication. A band is a team effort, or at least ours is, and we succeed when we are open and honest with each other about who we are. I’ve only ever been able to make music in groups so letting my innermost self-shine through to the group is my primary way of communicating my feelings and ideas.”
Their latest effort was conceptualized over the course of some years (2016 to 2021). During that period, the band released a plethora of defining demos, EPs, and LPs that contributed to the sonic and artistic vision for Diaspora Problems.
Jordan explains, “Aside from the member changes, we all grew as musicians and got nastier and worked harder at our instruments. Everything we put out was just us working our way up to a point where we would put out an album that we would shop around and whatnot. We traveled and met people, gained new understanding, and influence. All the things that help you grow, ya know?”
All of the groundwork and growth that has been put in by the band throughout the years has led to this moment—Diaspora Problems. The term ‘diaspora’ means the dispersion of any people from their original homeland.
“Someone called us ‘diaspora problems’ in a Facebook event for a show a while back,” says Jordan. “I felt like it was a very apt description of our music and our lyrical content. As products of the African diaspora, every problem we have as people is a result of it.”
Diaspora Problems is unlike any of its predecessors from the band. This project not only subverts expectations for long-term listeners but keeps the band’s signature sounds of raw delivery, crashing drums, snarling strings, and crunchy electronic components. There’s a unique richness that is embedded within each lyric said and each instrument played.
Jordan notes that his favorite song off the project is “Driponmoics.” The track is packed with golden elements of hip-hop, heavy-hitting drums, and distorted screeches looped throughout, accompanied by a flawless flow from Mother Maryrose.
“It sounds like it’s by other people,” he says. “I’ve never made anything with other people that I feel is this good. When Mother Maryrose sent her verse back, I wanted to cry. She was all bashful and shit-talking about (how) she didn’t know how she was gonna hit the beat, then sent us back that.”
Regarding what the song means to him, he laughs, “That track for me is about getting money. Clothing resale is a not-so-secret economy, and while I’m specifically not condoning flipping Telfar products, I do understand why people are driven into the business of shoe flipping and reselling luxury items. The song started to form in my mind when I saw my cousin trying to sell his dad’s dress shoes to him at Thanksgiving dinner. I started thinking about how the hardest hit places in the city during the June 2020 riots were clothing and electronic stores, and suddenly so many things clicked into place. It’s not hard to see what I’m talking about, but I’m also not tryna snitch. I specifically wanted to mention Telfar in the song because of how much I admire the brand and the issues they’ve had with resellers and the ways they’ve gone about curbing the issue.
Packed with tales of self-doubt, self-hate, past traumas, financial instability, the effects of institutional and state violence, and the power of community, Diaspora Problems is an early, but strong, contender for album of the year.
Overall, Jordan’s hopes for Diaspora Problems are that “people respond to my contributions on this album—like in any way, to be honest. I’m hoping that a lot of people read the lyrics and reflect on them and what I’m trying to say and come back with their own responses and understanding of themselves and the world around them. I hope they can and do verbalize them because I wanna know how people feel. I’m hoping people are compelled by our influences and wanna fuck with the artists we fuck with.”
Watch the video for “Jump!! (Or Get Jumped!!!)((by the future))” here:
For more from Soul Glo, find them on Bandcamp, Twitter, and Facebook.
Photo courtesy of Michael Thorn
