- Source: Erotic Probiotic 2
Erotic Probiotic 2 is the debut album by American singer and record producer Marcus Brown under the alias Nourished by Time, released on April 21, 2023, through Scenic Route Records. It received acclaim from critics, being ranked on several lists of the best albums of 2023.
Recording
Brown recorded the album in his parents' basement in Baltimore.
Critical reception
Pitchfork named it "Best New Music", with the site's Stephen Kearse describing it as playing like "a sampler of a time-warped '80s that took place entirely in Brown's head" as well as "freestyle through a buoyant, time-warped haze" and "both captivating and elusive". Exclaim!'s staff named it a pick upon release and called it "a wonderland, a lushly and unselfconsciously rendered world of deep blues and purples" with Brown combining "glittery freestyle, lean post-punk and sweeping Blue Nile-esque sophistipop into his own potent blend". Chris Richards of The Washington Post described it as a "strange and superb debut album" influenced by "early '90s R&B, the outsider pop of Arthur Russell, house music, club music, his studies at Berklee College of Music and the singular weirdo ambiance of Baltimore itself". Laura Snapes of The Guardian wrote that the album's "themes of sex, socialism and subjugation hit hard but never weigh heavy, couched in fuzzily buoyant, earwormy choruses that are almost as affirming as classic Lionel Richie or Barry White refrains."
Pitchfork ranked it the fifth best album of 2023. Paste ranked it the 17th best album of 2023, writing that its "blend of '90s R&B and '80s freestyle is so impressive because it appears to have arrived fully formed. For such a bare-bones operation, its fruits overwhelm". Gorilla vs. Bear ranked it the best album of 2023, calling it "a refreshing, genre-defying outlier" that "sounds like no one but Nourished by Time, as Brown conjures a magical, one-of-a-kind modern synthesis of '90s R&B, '80s freestyle, bedroom pop, and soul that transcends any and all of his myriad influences".