While a promising career in professional sports cut short by injury at least lends itself to a second act in broadcast journalism these days, former NFL safety Antone Exum Jr. took a much different approach when he revealed his debut single a few years back. And while pro athletes dipping their toes in side hustles as recording artists during the offseason is also nothing new, generally that musical instinct materializes as a failed rap project—instead, Antone’s recordings as EXUM had much more in common with avant-garde dance music, as heard on his 2021 single “Arrest the Dancer.” Having released an album every year in the interim, and joining acts like Alex G and Dehd on the road, he’s only honed his craft since then.
Today EXUM is announcing a new album titled hole, with its transfixing lead single stripping things back significantly—“All My Days” approaches the same corner of outsider folk that Alex G has long explored, with sharp acoustic guitar and distorted falsetto driving the track. “Maybe it’s about affection or something, I’m not sure exactly,” Exum shares of the ambiguous, eerily stark recording. “I don’t know if it’s too important here. Sometimes I listen and feel covered like a mother’s blanket and other times like I’m gonna break into pieces.”
The track comes paired with a music video from which it looks like the album title was pulled, with its experimental visuals recalling Patrick Bokanowski’s gothic-surrealist film L’angel (a deepcut, I know—google it). Check that out below.
