Jordan Raf

Dallas-bred, New York-based singer and songwriter Jordan Raf has the unique ability to diagnose the ills that plague himself and the world, and to recite the diagnoses with a blend of biting wit and unvarnished honesty. He’s a seer for our radically broken home, a court jester warning his patrons that the food is not only poisoned but has been expired for weeks. It’s a cruel, pointless endeavor, but since we’re all doomed anyways, might as well make the most of it. The Iranian-American’s latest self-produced EP, The Last Deer in Laurel Canyon is a raucously brilliant blend of downtempo indie pop, soul-baring R&B, avant-garde folk, and deeply felt electronica.

Originally getting his start in Los Angeles, the genre-bending artist hung around the famed incubator, Low End Theory; at one point or another sharing the stage with other beat-driven artists such as <a href="spotify:artist:6y80I9YZi4DOpbaSUlL725" data-name="Shlohmo">Shlohmo</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:29XOeO6KIWxGthejQqn793" data-name="Flying Lotus">Flying Lotus</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1AEcpjnSCmm53IBZQo3g9z" data-name="DāM-FunK">DāM-FunK</a> . Though most recently, the singer-songwriter has begun to make somewhat of a name for himself in New York City&#39;s ever-burgeoning indie rock scene. In the last couple years, Jordan has played around town with <a href="spotify:artist:1GUaQ6GpaxFPKZ0SCSsnwD" data-name="Skullcrusher">Skullcrusher</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6tuEL6IAVy9fuSPuZp1hMk" data-name="Pleasure Systems">Pleasure Systems</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:01dkMVgxs4d9pNMIOgyXVV" data-name="June McDoom">June McDoom</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4xkRqU2tCsLx2RJO5RXQUX" data-name="Evan Wright">Evan Wright</a>. However, throughout his career, journalists and critics alike have continued to note that his voice is often reminiscent of other contemporary crooners, like <a href="spotify:artist:6XC2sEBXW5xqpPSbYgMnvc" data-name="Sean Nicholas Savage">Sean Nicholas Savage</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4wyNyxs74Ux8UIDopNjIai" data-name="King Krule">King Krule</a>, and even the late, great <a href="spotify:artist:3nnQpaTvKb5jCQabZefACI" data-name="Jeff Buckley">Jeff Buckley</a>. - Will Schube