Struggler by Genesis Owusu | Album Review

Taking a look at the Ghanian-musician’s 2023 sophomore album

Listen to Struggler: Apple Music | Spotify

Admittedly I have to thank Anthony Fantano for drawing my attention to Struggler, as he included it on his top 5 rock albums of 2023 video posted to his TikTok. Before this I did not know who Genesis Owusu was, nor was I even familiar with his music. As I attempt to catch myself up with albums I missed out on from last year I wanted to make Struggler one of my priorities. Fantano co-signs aside, Owusu gained even more traction last year by being one of the opening acts for Paramore’s This Is Why Tour, which only piqued my curiosity even further.

Genesis is very much a genreless artist as evidenced by the creative liberties he takes on Struggler. The album blends elements of post-punk, hip-hop, and R&B. It refuses to confide in one style but rather balances several and combines all these influences to make Genesis’ sophomore album a solid project that’s worth a listen.

The album’s punk aspects make up a good bulk of the album, and the songs exude the grungy aesthetic associated with the genre. The 3 track run of “Leaving The Light”, “The Roach” and “The Old Man” kick Struggler off with high-octane energy. Their blasting beats will surely please fans of bands like Bloc Party or the work from Paramore’s recent album. The album’s slower R&B tones are felt throughout songs like “See Ya There”. Initially, I was hesitant that the switch from punk to R&B throughout a few points on Struggler was going to be jarring, yet the two styles compliment each other quite well.

Struggler’s funkier cuts were the most surprising though, and easily the most memorable parts of the album. The first half of “That’s Life (A Swamp)” revels in its groovy, disco production, making it a certified bop. “Survivor” (which was recently added as the final track last month) is a fast-paced rap track highlighted by its booming tribal drums, a complete 180 from a majority of the other songs, and effectively ending the album on an extremely high note.

This is where one of my gripes with Struggler lies, in that I wish there was more variation in the production. Aside from the 2 aforementioned tracks above, the album doesn’t deviate a whole lot from its post-punk/R&B influences. While it’s not a huge detriment to the album, I would have appreciated getting a little surprise similar to “Survivor” for example, throughout the album.

Conceptually, Genesis Owusu described the overall theme of Struggler in the excerpt below:

The struggler runs through an absurd world with no ‘where’ or ‘why’ at hand. Just an instinctual inner rhythm, yelling at them to survive the pestilence and lightning bolts coming from above. A roach just keeps roaching.

In my interpretation of this vague description, I see it as an album revolving around overcoming obstacles and trying your best to survive. Where Genesis or the listener is a weak individual fighting off a power much stronger than them. We get glimpses of this in the opener “Leaving The Light”, where Genesis compares himself to a cockroach, putting into perspective just how insignificant he feels despite his need to survive. “The Roach” continues this allegory (“Trapped, trapped in the black. I’m a roach, don’t knock me on my back, legs in the air, hope God don’t attack.”).

We get introduced to the Roach’s antagonist in “The Old Man”, where it’s revealed to be God. We see the Roach refuse to be like the deity set out to kill him on “Freak Boy” as he voices his disdain towards God. The 2-parter “That’s Life” sees the Roach become tired of dealing with the baggage that comes with this conflict: (“I’m starting seeing chaos bring
That’s you, oh, that’s you.”).

The bounciness of the energetic “Balthazar” is juxtaposed by the song’s existential lyricism, where the Roach questions the meaning of his very life of struggle. The majority of the album is this back-and-forth between the Roach and God, with everything culminating on “Stuck To The Fan”. The Roach realizes that all its trials and tribulations were not the end of his journey, as more obstacles lie ahead: “(But you took me right back to a place that I know. Shit was stuck to the fan.”). The struggle he endured on the album is merely a loop made by God, and he will have to go through this all over again.

I’ve rarely listened to an album that had a definite concept with set characters in quite some time, by no means does Struggler reinvent the wheel of conceptual albums (and nor is it deep) but its story gives the album just a little more substance. Overall I enjoyed Struggler quite a bit. While I wish there was more variety in the production, the lyricism and ideas presented here are more than enough to make up for that.

I’m giving Struggler a 7.5–8/10. Having listened to Struggler, I’m quite curious to see Genesis Owusu’s past material. Based on this album he seems like the type of artist who knows no boundaries and is willing to push the envelope and redefine what we think of genres. This would have easily made it in my best albums of 2023 list for sure, and it's an album that I highly recommend to check out if it went under the radar for you like it did for me.

Final Rating: 7.5–8/10

Favourite Tracks: Leaving The Light, The Roach, The Old Man, That’s Life (A Swamp), Balthazar, Survivor.