BONES - Unrendered

Unrendered by BONES imposes its conceptual architecture: each track refers to a specific computer process. Released on April 21, 2017 on TeamSESH, this album comes in the context of an already extensive career, as the artist has released more than 100 albums, mixtapes, and EPs since 2010. The total duration of 40 minutes and 10 seconds for eighteen tracks attests to a strict economy, far from the usual digressions.

Framing through Importing and Exporting

The opening of the album sets the framework with surgical precision thanks to the track "Importing", the formal entry point of this exploration. The structure concludes just as firmly with the last track, "Exporting", sealing a complete data cycle between import and export. This binary logic frames a work where the production focuses on a concept related to computers and system files.

The theme of system files at the heart of the album

Beyond the opening and closing frames, the heart of the album navigates through a series of tracks that directly evoke the commands or states of an operating system. "SystemPreferences" introduces the idea of settings, while tracks like "CtrlAltDelete", "MissingProjectFiles", "SunnyDay", "ConnectingToServer", "LifeRuiner", "MustBeARealDragWakingUpAndBeingYou", "MyNephewHasAWhitePickupTruck", "TakingOutTheTrash", "WhateverHelpsYouSleep", "CaseSensitive", "YouKnowIWantYou", "BoyOhBoy", "MinorSetback", "TheGrandestNothing", and "ContinueWithoutSaving" populate the sonic space. Each name functions as an instruction or a status, illustrating a vision where rap becomes a user interface. This thematic density transforms the listening experience into a series of virtual events where the artist explores the internal mechanics of technology.

Consolidation of a dense discography since 2010

When delving into BONES' musical past, we see that this release sits at the heart of a dense discography, marked by a period of intensive production during which the artist released tracks such as CRACKER, Creep, PaidProgramming, Scumbag, DeadBoy, Garbage, Rotten, and Skinny, all of which were released in 2013 or 2014. This 2017 work thus appears as a consolidation of work begun as early as 2010, allowing Elmo Kennedy O'Connor to assert his legitimacy in the American rap scene before the arrival of his next album, Augmented, in 2018. The artist's trajectory is not solely musical; it is intimately linked to his personal life and family origins. Born in 1994, the son of Danny O'Connor, a music industry professional, and Rachel Culp, a clothing designer, he grew up in an environment where music was omnipresent, although he dropped out of Howell High School at 16. His move to Los Angeles to be with his brother Elliott, who has become his current manager, was decisive for the evolution of his career, just as his journey to California, which has seen him reside in Glendale since 2017. This geographical and professional stability contrasts with the volatile nature of his art, which explores themes often linked to dissociation and technology. His discography, which will span over a hundred albums under several aliases by 2024, demonstrates an unprecedented creative voracity. The album in question maintains this productivity dynamic while imposing a unique conceptual rigor. The biographical dimension also enriches understanding of the musical material. Her personal journey also includes significant events such as the birth of her son Howl in August 2019 and her daughter Sunday in July 2026, elements that could subtly influence the lyrical content, although the album remained faithful to its cold, digital concept. He also met Samantha Strysko, his fiancée since 2017 and wife in 2023, at Disneyland Park thanks to his brother, adding a human narrative layer to a work that paradoxically seems dehumanized by its computer-generated titles. This duality between the real life of the man and the character of the digital artist is central to the analysis of this period of his career. The success of this record rests on its ability to hold a concentration of ideas without devolving into redundancy. The total duration of 40 min 10 s for eighteen tracks demonstrates a discipline in terms of time that contrasts with the longer, less structured albums of the hip-hop scene. This brevity does not sacrifice the complexity of the subject: it forces each piece to bear its own weight within the overall structure.

Technical details

- Release date : April 21, 2017 - Label : TeamSESH - Tracks : 18 (40 min 10 s) - Opening / closing : Importing / Exporting