Texas singer/rapper
Iann Dior mines painful relationships, reckless living, and the dark side of fame on his studio debut Industry Plant. The album's title is a reference to fast-rising artists being called out as inauthentically prefabricated by labels and managers to cash in on lucrative trends in music.
Dior, appearing seemingly out of nowhere with an attention-grabbing look and dark sound somewhere between emo rap and pop, was accused of being an industry plant several times as he rose to acclaim. The album doesn't address these accusations outside of the nod in the title, but doubles down on formulaic songs of vitriol with hooky choruses and just enough trap production and eerie beats to keep things feeling dangerous. Guest appearances from artists cut from the same angsty cloth as
Dior show up throughout the album, with cameos from
Trippie Redd,
phem,
Gunna,
Poorstacy, and even
blink-182's
Travis Barker.
Dior's style reaches its full potential when he's wallowing in self-pity on "Urself," numbing a broken heart on "gone girl," or drifting through narcotic emo trap on "Strings." ~ Fred Thomas