Some History
I have never listened to a full Alex G album before. Surprisingly, I saw Alex live as an opening act for Fleet Foxes way back in 2017. It was at the Detroit Masonic Temple which was pretty cool. When I saw him I was very young, and I didn't really "get" his music. My brother, who took me to the concert, became obsessed with this "Sandy Alex G" guy shortly after hearing it for the first time. Then, in the 2020s his music blew up on social media and the algorithms made his music prevalent everywhere. That's when I started to understand the appeal of his music.
The Review
The sound design in Trick is great. I love the playful nature of everything. It is experimental, but stays within the bounds of its genre. When creating this album Alex knew what worked. The layering and the textures are very tasteful. They scratch an itch. Some parts of Trick sound very juvenile, like a child on a playground is singing to me about their new girlfriend or something. It is appealing mostly but sometimes a little too over the top and a little whiny and soft-spoken for my tastes. Also I think this style of music is a little stale at this point in 2025 but still can be appreciated if you're a fan of late 2000s early 2010s indie (like me). I do think that Alex was one of the first pioneers of this style especially in 2011. I think it took quite a while for people to appreciate his work. It's a shame his work is probably boiled down to some TikTok aestheticism now, but I am happy for his success. I give this album 4 moons out of 5. It is a great listen.
