Rough Year is a young trans artist from Philadelphia who crafts haunting compositions characterised by themes of dispossession, alienation and forced assimilation.

Following on from the politically charged Mongreal EP, Rough Year’s “Arch,” and the rest of their body of work for that matter, is “focused toward the resurgence of civil rights protests around the world.” With “Arch,” Rough Year paints an evocative picture, laying gritty field recordings and spoken word snippets underneath menacing drones, knife-edged percussion, and bone-shaking kicks, flowing like a stream of consciousness across its 11-minute run. It’s an affecting piece of story telling from a talented newcomer.

You can stream “Arch” in full below, with Rough Year’s previous work available here.