Brooklyn-based singer/vocalist Fielded’s new project, Young Medusa is a collective exploration of texture, harmony, and mood. Entirely produced by Willie Green, in collaboration with Fielded, bassist Adrian Knight, and multi-instrumentalist and co-writer David Lackner, the EP is full of stylistic detours, probing the boundaries of singer/vocalist’s psychedelic R&B sound.

The seeds of Young Medusa were sown during the making of Fielded’s 2020 LP, Demisexual Lovelace. “Dave and I co-wrote “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” and “Justus” based off my acapellas,” Fielded says. “We decided to explore that further and each song was written acapella with Dave jumping in to create the Rhodes arrangements beneath them. The songs started as very simple ideas in my head and from there went to Dave, then to Green, and finally to Adrian.”

Songs like “Land o Pines” and “Damaged” find Fielded in storytelling mode, deftly exploring the ins and outs of heartache and the human condition. Others, like “Goodness Gracious” and “Not That Deep,” tread lighter ground, but whether the material is introspective or effervescent, Fielded’s harmonies always create a journey for the ear. Lush and spirited, Young Medusa embraces its pop sensibilities without sacrificing the artist’s lyrical prowess.

As for the meaning of the title, Fielded explains:, “Medusa was a beautiful young woman before an encounter with Poseidon turned her into a monster. But was that sex consensual? And who was Medusa before her transformation; what were her passions, who did she love, what did she long for? I sometimes feel as though the trial and errors of life are transforming me into someone I don’t like. So let’s celebrate our young Medusa—before she had to be on the defense, before she herself was hardened against the world.”