“Respectfully, you’ve been quite naked this era.” So begins a recent Interview feature on LA singer-songwriter Malcolm Todd. Ironically, he is not naked in that interview, but he is on the cover of Do That Again, a shirtless bathtub-and-beer shot that’s lit like the Backrooms. Over the runtime of his album, multiple outfits’ worth of clothing is shed — a tank top, a jean skirt, an unspecified shirt, some unspecified pants. (“I’ve been shirtless my whole life,” he replied to the interviewer.) But it’d be wrong to call Todd’s music or image “sleazy,” no matter how much the album cover resembles a 2000s American Apparel ad. His merch features teddy bears and rubber duckies; his single “Breathe” is set amid a fake slumber party that’s… I mean, it’s less porny than it could have been. His tour and album names speak the brand outright: “Sweet Boy,” “Wholesome Rockstar.”
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