After setting online circles alight as a teenager in her bedroom in Baton Rouge, the elusive producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Portraits of Tracy became a fascinating contender for the pop music’s evolution.

Q: From Where Do Our Primal Instincts Originate A: MTV! (out July 24) marks a confident new stage in her evolution, one where she reintroduces herself in glorious technicolor. Disruptive, experimental, and ultra-vivid, Tracy’s sound draws on indelible memories: a childhood spent locked into DC hardcore, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and when MTV reigned supreme.

It’s a playful successor to 2023’s Drive Home: an extraordinary statement of autonomy and sonic freedom, the 18-track concept record is an analogy for Tracy’s own journey in accepting herself as transgender and finding her voice as a Black, queer teen raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Through the lens of Junie, the album’s central character, Tracy frantically whips between elements of classic rock, hip-hop, R&B, soul, and psychedelic indie rock to tell a story of family, belonging, and the importance of staying true to your gut — all guided by her prodigious musical talent.