MOOD CONTROL, the third album in as many years from Austin’s BLK ODYSSY, begins with a TV host asking a number of questions: “Are you depressed? Do you suffer from illness, anxiety or stress? Does the weight of the world feel too heavy to carry? Are you searching for an escape?” These queries animate the soulful, experimental and inventive 2025 album from Juwan Elcock. Over the course of the BLK ODYSSY adventure, which began with 2021’s BLK VINTAGE, the songwriter has blended late-night jams built for the bedroom with more existential wanderings that examine the human condition. On MOOD CONTROL, these two themes are on a collision course, and Elcock posits that sex and suffering are deeply entwined. Take “HEARTBREAK”, which, despite its subject matter, bounces along with an uptempo drum groove and bubbly bassline. Elcock demands devotion, asking his partner to prove their love by wearing him out like he’s their jeans. Commitment isn’t always healthy.