Christian Alexander has shared his coming-of-age debut, I Don’t Like You, featuring previously released singles “Makeup” and “Waste Her Time” off Kevin Abstract’s Video Store Records. As the official follow-up to earlier full-length projects, Summer 17 and Summer 19, as well as Alexander’s Growing Up EP, the 10-track album is highly anticipated, capturing life as a twenty-something in small town simplicity.
A day after Mother’s Day, the English newcomer continues the celebration with a music video for I Don’t Like You highlight, “Momma,” premiering on PAPER. Acoustic and stripped back, the song is reworked from the original to put Alexander’s tender vocals on full display. “Don’t you run/ There’s so much left to give,” he sings to his mom. “And don’t you hide/ You’re the one thing that I need.”
The visual, directed by Brian Niles and Weston Freas, is just as raw and intimate as this live update. Alexander performs alone by the ocean, with sounds of crashing waves kept in as an homage to memories with his mom. Grainy, lo-fi footage makes “Momma” look like it’s plucked from the past, as Alexander works through an earnest love letter to the woman who brought him into this world. “I need you more, more, more,” he concludes.
For years, Alexander created music from his childhood home near Preston, Lancashire, until Abstract invited him out to Los Angeles to collaborate with Brockhampton members. The six months he spent living in California helped birth I Don’t Like You, as the young multi-instrumentalist discovered more about himself and fine-tuned his music. He made his live performance debut in February, supporting Brockhampton for two sold-out nights at Brixton Academy.
“I’m relieved that I Don’t Like You is out,” Alexander wrote in a journal entry that he shared last month on Instagram. “I gave it my everything. I feel free, creatively energized. I’m meeting new people, trying new things, exploring different sounds. I feel further inspired to become one of the best artists there is.”
Watch "Momma" and stream Christian Alexander's debut album, I Don't Like You, below.
Photos courtesy of Christian Alexander