No matter what you think of his music, give Dallas Cotton credit for this: His alter ego—fresh-faced future funk producer Yung Bae—has a clear and consistent aesthetic.
His new album is called Bae 5, and follows B4E, BA3, BAE 2, and his 2014 debut, Bae. Each project features cover art that hovers somewhere near the nexus of Japanese anime, gleaming Miami Vice pastels, sunsets on the beach, clean-cut suburban vibes, and a faded style of nostalgia that particularly appeals to people who didn’t experience the ’80s the first time around—and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
“I’m fully committed to a lot of that ’70s- and ’80s- style branding that comes off as corny to anyone else who would see it,” says Cotton, 25, in a recent phone interview. “I label it as corny for the masses, but I genuinely love that stuff. I think it’s amazing.”