trinket - tsubi club

October 19th, 2026

Released on April 8, 2026, trinket marks tsubi club’s debut album. A message to aspiring creatives navigating the uncertainty of finding their voice. The record puts into words the hardships of becoming the artist you want to be, embracing doubt, and the value of persistence within the creative process.

Sonically, the record is impossible to pin down. The songs feel like collages of ideas; Colorful; playful; beautiful– pretty much any word with the suffix -ful. I want to say it has a lot of good pop energy and melodies, but it would also tear shit up at the club, and make you emotional so I don’t even really know... Yet through a mix of electronic elements, live instrumentation, and such unconventional song structures that you think you’ve left shuffle on, trinket feels like instinct. 

Unfiltered, curious, and unafraid to follow an idea through.

You follow a person, see them train their craft and sharpen their sword to become the best version of themselves, experiencing failure, setback, and small victory along the way: 

“Come on, kid, concentrate (Use your head)”  

A sample taken from the 1997 Disney film Hercules, spoken by the character Phil is found within the first few seconds on track 2: “You’re serious aren’t you ?” At a face value, the sample (and others alike across the record) seem to be a fun reference to classic shows and movies. But Phil’s voice appears across the majority of these songs, making his presence feel far more deliberate than a callback.

Phil is a trainer. His job is to push Hercules, correct him, and force him to confront the parts of himself that are vulnerable and need to be worked upon. 

In trinket, that role takes on a larger meaning. His voice becomes almost inseparable from the album’s own message: Use your head, keep practicing, and sharpen your craft. What initially sounds like a character speaking to a young hero begins to feel like a creative mentor speaking directly to an artist.

But, matter of fact, when it comes to this record’s references to film and television, Hercules isn’t even my personal favorite.

That #1 spot belongs to the several references to Cartoon Network’s Clarence. The first comes from Season 1, Episode 2, “A Pretty Great Day with a Girl,” In the episode, Clarence and a girl he’s just met, Amy, climb a massive boulder aptly named Monster Rock. Once they reach the summit, Belson, the main antagonist, decides that Clarence and Amy ought to come down so he can tower over the rock himself.

Of course, this conflict could only end one way: a pine cone war.

Yet before the war can officially conclude, Amy’s mother calls her home. And despite having just been engaged in warfare, Amy and Clarence calmly climb down and simply walk home. But not quickly enough before Belson, exhausted and covered in sweat, declares:

“Aha, we won!”, but Clarence, within all of his blissful ignorance, genuinely, did not care.

And that’s where the intro vocal sample originates for track 8, “all-time-chump.” It’s a small moment, but within trinket, it becomes something much bigger. The idea of “winning” isn’t necessarily about beating someone else; it’s about refusing to let the outcome define you. Belson, although his victory was quite pitiful, can have his victory lap, but Clarence keeps moving. For an album about learning, failing, and continuing to sharpen your craft, that sentiment is perfectly placed.

Additionally, the deeper messages about child- and parenthood within Clarence fits the record so well. There are moments on this record so full of wonder that you feel like you’re seeing the world through an eight-year-old’s eyes, and others so beautiful that you feel like you’re raising that same child.

But not everything's perfect; nothing is.

For example, I think track 5 “strawberry☆chop” adds absolutely nothing to the project. Granted I’m probably missing something, but for me, it's there just to be there. Not saying this is 100% the case for these records, but I don’t know why a lot of contemporary albums feel the need to add interludes. There's ways to incorporate them, this one just doesn’t work for me.

If I’m being totally honest, trinket really speaks to me as someone with aspirations within the music industry. Its message about finding your place, sharpening your craft, biting the bullet, and continuing forward feels especially personal. There’s something reassuring about hearing an album so openly embrace the uncertainty that comes with trying to create something of your own.

And maybe that’s what makes trinket resonate with me so much. It isn’t an album about already being great. It’s about becoming great.

Plus, the music is good, so I guess that’s a plus.