Boundary-Breaking Artist Portraits Of Tracy Releases Deluxe Album Drive Home: Parting Gifts
19-year-old rising artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Portraits Of Tracy has released Drive Home: Parting Gifts, a deluxe version of the Baton Rouge native’s celebrated 2023 album, Drive Home.
The offering includes six remixed tracks produced entirely by Portraits of Tracy in addition to new track “Child’s Play,” with focus track “Found But Dilla,” featuring acclaimed artist Duckwrth.
“‘Found But Dilla’ is inspired by none other than…. J. Dilla!” Tracy shares. “I wanted to pay homage while still giving a bit of my style (vocally.) It’s like a J. Dilla, Alternative R&B hybrid thang. Last, but definitely not least…Duckwrth’s verse is smooth like butter!!!”
The release was preceded by two remixed versions of Drive Home track, “The Afterparty.” “The Afterparty (Disco Version)” swapped the original’s piano-driven melody for vibrant, psychedelic synths and a driving four-on-the-floor beat, while “The Afterparty (French House Instrumental)” morphed the single into a club-ready anthem. Grimy Goods praised the remixes, raving, “…[this] is more than just a simple edit, transforming an already impressive song into something that shows off Tracy’s ability to glide through genres.”
Portraits of Tracy (she/her) is the project of 19-year-old producer and multi-instrumentalist Tracy Geneviève Amare, who emerged as a self-taught experimental music icon with her 2023 album Drive Home, an extraordinary statement of autonomy and sonic freedom. The 17-track concept record tracks the odyssey of the main character Junie by frantically whipping between elements of classic rock, hip-hop, R&B, soul, and psychedelic indie rock. These wide-ranging influences are assembled into unconventional, frenzied structures that release transcendent emotion. Drive Home’s unbounded and vivid sound captures Tracy’s own tumultuous journey of finding her voice and starting her own life as a Black, queer teen raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
