Fonto’s I don’t care is a short album that gets in, says what it needs to say, and keeps moving. With eleven tracks running for around 22 minutes, there is no need to set aside a huge chunk of time for it. You can sit down, press play, and have the whole thing finished before you know it. The New York City artist brings together rap with influences from alternative trap, emo rap, screamo, alternative rock, and lo-fi electronic music. Fonto is also involved in writing and production, which gives the project a personal touch. His background is just as varied. Born in the Bronx in 2001, the Cuban-American artist started sharing music in his early teens and has built a catalog around gritty, underground-inspired, and sometimes lo-fi sounds. He is also classically trained on piano.
The album starts with “Take a minute”, followed by “Stockholm syndrome”, and from there the tracklist keeps things moving. “Cinema”, “Sugar packet”, “Sky turn blue”, and “When it rains” add different shades to the record, while songs such as “Pet peeve”, “We both be wrong/right”, and “Advantage” keep the second half interesting. One thing I appreciate about I Don’t Care is how much Fonto fits into such a small space. Several of the songs are around two minutes long, while “Picture on the wall” is only 1:20. That makes the album feel easy to revisit. You are not waiting around for a song to get somewhere. Each track gets its moment, and then the album moves along.
I also like the personality behind the project. The song titles alone give the album a slightly unpredictable character, from “Sugar packet” to “Pet peeve” and “Last day”. It feels like Fonto is comfortable letting different ideas sit side by side rather than trying to make everything sound the same. For me, the album’s short running time is one of its biggest strengths. I enjoyed being able to play the whole thing in one sitting, and I can see myself coming back to a few of these tracks separately.
If you enjoy discovering independent artists and checking out rap projects that draw from multiple corners of the music world, Fonto is worth keeping an eye on. Give I Don’t Care a listen, follow Fonto through his official channels, and add your favorite track to your playlist. The album is short enough to revisit whenever you have a few minutes, making it easy to keep on hand. Sometimes a brief record is exactly what you want when you are looking for something new.
