The Bapti$$ Shares “Wear & Tear,” a Playful, Whistled Love Song with a Spiritual Backbone

Following the emotionally stirring “My Father’s Sins,” The Bapti$$—the spiritual, genre-blending project of veteran artist Joseph LaPlante—returns with “Wear & Tear,” a light-hearted, whistled love song that radiates hope, joy, and divine alignment. The single is the fourth release from his just-announced debut LP, Pop Cult(ure), out September 26th.

Built around a delicate acoustic guitar, thick 808 bass drums, and a nostalgic whistle melody, “Wear & Tear” is a unique blend of contrast and cohesion. It’s both old and new, playful yet grounded, modern yet timeless.

“The melody that came to me had this hopeful, loving vibe, so I ran with it,” says LaPlante. “My wife thinks the song is cute, and that’s all the approval I needed.”

The Bapti$$ is the new project from multi-instrumentalist and artist Joseph LaPlante. It’s a musical cleansing and rebirth, a blank slate for a veteran musician and songwriter—a mid-career baptism of sorts, hence the name. As The Bapti$$, LaPlante has created a world of warm, lush, 808-driven acoustic indie-pop and cozy, stripped-back singer-songwriter R&B. There are romantic, late-night love ballads, booming hip-hop vocals and verses, rootsy folk sing-alongs, gritty country-noir slow-burns, and spacy, electronic astro-pop.

Before creating The Bapti$$, LaPlante gained widespread acclaim and recognition in hip-hop as Joey Stylez, with features in Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, Reservation Dogs, and the film Wind River. LaPlante wants to use The Bapti$$’s work to help youth stay on the right track and away from those sorts of traumatic outcomes, while also staying deeply connected to the people stuck on the margins who need strength the most. The Bapti$$ brings calming waters in a chaotic world.