Music Reviews

Man it’s been a while since some new QotSA music and honestly I really missed these guys. Albums like „Songs for the Deaf“ and my personal favorite album of theirs „…Like Clockwork“ really solidified themselves as one of my personal favorites rock albums basically ever. So when the first single to this album „Emotion Sickness“ came out I was through the roof with excitement to how it would sound and I gotta say, at first I was honestly kinda disappointed with it. Don’t get me wrong, the song isn’t bad but I just found it a bit… Forgetable? I don’t know something just wasn’t working for me with it and that’s honestly been my first experience with this entire album. I think that what’s at fault mostly is that I was expecting another „…Like Clockwork“ which this album is very much not, it has it’s own identity and even though I don’t really enjoy this album as much as that one, with time I still found a great deal of stuff that’s worth coming back to on here.

Let’s start at the beginning. The opening track „Obscenery“ is one I actually enjoy quite a bit, lyrically it’s very existential, hollow and kinda empty which is a running theme throughout this entire album. The random orchestral switch in the middle of the track is well kinda out of nowhere but somehow works really well, the chorus is really memorable and I really like the guitars on this track in particular, they are really dark and twisted and really sound like something straight out of „…Like Clockwork“. Overall a great opener and tone-setter, I really like this one. The next song and the last released single to this album „Paper Machete“ is a really straight-to-the-point rock jam that kinda comes and goes but in a good way, I can see why it was released as a single, the main guitar riff is really catchy and it just sounds like your typical QotSA single. The solo was a nice touch though and I’m especially fond of like the last 30 seconds of this song, the synths or whatever they are, even though they appear for a really short period of time sound super cool, I really wish there was more done with them on this song, I would even go as far as to say they should have been the centrepiece of the song but I digress, still a really good tune. Next is the slower „Negative Space“ on which I once again have to praise the guitar work, especially on the chorus part, QotSA always had really pleasant guitars and this album only proves that more. Besides that I also really enjoy the nihilistic lyrics, they have been really resonating with me with lines „There’s gotta be someway back to earth“ and „stare into oblivion, oh, it hurts“, just some good stuff. I’m not as crazy about the verses though, they are maybe a bit too slow for my liking, even though the bass here is kinda neat. Next is the song „Time & Place“ that has a really nice little guitar lick always in the chorus and some cool guitar effects and little solos here and there, but the core song is kinda all over the place even though I think there is a really good song hiding in there. Really the thing that remains consistenly excellent throughout this entire album really are the lyrics, they are once again just really great here, I only wish they were sung more in a way that I could understand them without having to read them along, but I guess that’s also part of the beautiful messiness of this album. After that is the song „Made to Parade“ which is the second longest song on here and definetly the slowest one. I like some of the guitar parts in the background, like they way they are all layered on top of each other actually really comes together by the end of the song, but I just think it’s such a drag for it to get there and i’m not even like that crazy about it, this one’s probably the one I would skip the most on like a casual listen, even though it’s by no means bad. However next is one if not my personal favorite song from this album „Carnavoyeur“ – I just think everything about this song works. It’s once again really slow but it has those chunky bassy guitars that I absolutely love from QotSA a nice atmospheric synthy (if that’s even a word) intro and a memorable chorus that leads into a really catchy main melody that is just the cherry on top. Plus yeah, once again lyrics just only add onto the already miserable atmosphere, on this one especially as it deals with many themes and especially the theme of mortality and how futile everything at the end of the day kinda is. And if all that wasn’t enough just the drums getting louder at like the last 5 seconds of the songs are just a super neat nice little touch at the end. „What The Peephole Say“ is another really solid song, I really like the energy of this one, it’s kinda bouncy and honestly just super fun. The „Tonight is the night“ chant repeated all over again in the second half of the song is another really catchy moment. Guitars once again top notch, just a really good song, not much else to say about it. The song after that „Sicily“ is another one of my personal favorites, it’s one of the longer and slower songs on here but I just absolutely LOVE the main synth or guitar or whatever it is line on this, I seriously can’t get enough of it, it’s super dark and haunting, feels like you’re arriving at some sort of twisted circus or something. There really isn’t all that much to the song other than that but this one melody repeated throughout the entire song is just that good in my eyes. And now we arrive to the dreaded „Emotion Sickness“ and I have to say… Yeah it grew on me. I think it definetly works much better in the context of this album, it fits very much right in and makes a lot of sense as the second to last song on here. Now I would honestly maybe even call it one of my favorites on here. I still have my little nit-picks with it, but it’s mostly just that I was expecting something else than what I got, even though what I got is still really really good. And we arrive at the end with the 9-minute closer „Straight Jacket Fitting“ and yeah this is a really long but very rewarding song. It just keeps on going and going and feels like the „I Appear Missing“ of this album, the writing, the atmosphere, Josh Homme’s vocals, everything just comes together beautifully on here, about as good of an album closer as you can get.

So there you have it, I think this album overall is really solid even though it took me a couple of listens to really appriciate it for what it is. There are moments where this album kinda drags and moments where it feels like it doesn’t know what it really wants but at the same time the core ideas are usually really good and the sharp lyricism is what carries heavily in those few weak moments. Not their best but far from their worst, a really solid release overall.

-favorite songs: Obscenery, Paper Machete, Negative Space, Carnavoyeur, What The Peephole Say, Sicily, Emotion Sickness, Straight Jacket Fitting

-least favorite songs: Made to Parade

Decent 7/10

Pure magic.

Look, if you’ve followed this page for a while now you will know that Parannoul is a project that I’ve been passionate about since it’s inception – from their debut album „To See the Next Part of the Dream“ which ranked I think number 3 at my year end list of best albums of 2021 to their colaborations with Asian Glow and their latest full length LP „After the Magic“, Parannoul’s output has been one hit after another. So when I saw that this, an hour and a half long live album with a 40 minute closing track, which also happens to be one of my personal favorite tracks from the band, I knew that this was gonna be something just out of this world. And well I got basically exactly what I expected – nothing could have prepared me for that last track though, that one deserves a whole review in of itself.

Going through this track by track is kinda pointless since all the songs are basically already existing songs just played live, however I will still say a few things about those before I get to the cream of the pie (that being the final track) – first of the song choices are absolutely brilliant here – not a single song on here feels like it shouldn’t have been here, everything flows into each other almost seemlesly and it all feels super lively and vivid, the live setting really brings these songs to new heights. Like the opener „Polaris“ just sounds absolutely beautiful and out of this world and immediately immerses you in this spacey other-worldly atmosphere that never leaves throughout the entire journey that is this album. It is immediately followed by one of my other personal favorite songs from Parannoul „Beautiful World“ that is really brought to exceptional heights here. The pianos are as beautiful as ever here and the guitars just have this extra power to them that the studio recordings are just missing. I think the only song I wasn’t like immediately instantly in love with was the song „Imagination“ not a bad song in any way, it just didn’t grip my ear as instantnly as some of the other songs here and the more I listened to it the more it clicked with me, I just think it’s the only song here without any like instantly recognizable qualities to it, it’s still fantastic and magical while it’s on but I don’t really find myself having this one stuck in my head as often as some of the others.

… Ok well let’s get to the reason I’m actually talking about this project. Don’t get me wrong, all the live songs up to this point have been if not anything else really great and all of them sound spetacular but what the last 40 minute song on this album accomplishes I haven’t heard since maybe the „LONG SEASON“ live song by Fishmans. And yeah If you’ve been on the internet anywhere where this album is discussed this comparison is right about the first thing that gets thrown in your face and even though I do think it’s valid, the emotional connection I get with this song is honestly more than I get with that Fishman’s song. I mean if there ever was to be an 11/10 it would honestly be this song for me, it’s really that good. Not good, it’s just… Unreal. Like I get chills everytime I’m hearing it. It evokes so many feelings at once and I just can’t help but absolutely love it for that. It undergoes so many phases and transitions yet still remains unmastikably itself and I think that’s kind of beautiful. And yes, it requires a lot of patienece but the multiple pay-offs this song has are more than worth it. And the guitars on this oh my GOD the guitars are the reason I wake up in the morning, like there are so many things happening at one but the guitars still stand out as just absolutely insane. Like sitting just through this entire song at once is a JOURNEY. Like legitemately I don’t get an experience like this from many movies and this is just a one song on a live album. The strings towards the end of the song are also just… No I can’t with this song, if you haven’t heard it yet just do yourself the favor of at least once sitting through it, I guarantee you you won’t regret it.

Now here comes the real dilema… Because this album is undoubtedly in my eyes AT LEAST a strong 9/10… BUT do I really think it’s a 10 overall? I mean the last song alone is basically like an 11 but this isn’t just that last song no matter how spectacular that one is… But the more I think about it, this project’s music has just been one of my favorite things I discovered in the last few years throughout the mountains on mountains of new music I discovered and to be perfectly honest, this album feels like the amalgamation of all of that into one cohesive emotionally powerful larger-than-life project that just delivers on all fronts and has literally no duds whatsoever. If that isn’t a 10/10 than I don’t know what is. So with that being said…

-favorite tracks: all, ESPECIALLY Into the Endless Nights

-least favorite tracks: Imagination (IF I HAD TO CHOOSE)

10/10

Liturgy – 93696

Starting off on a strong note we have an album I didn’t get the chance to mention in my last „Albums I Missed“ installment and that is none other than Liturgy’s 93696 and if I had the patience to do so this album would make for like 3 full-blown reviews, however I am simply just super lazy so this will have to do – like to be fair not even 3 full reviews would do this thing enough justice, this album just absolutely steals the show on all fronts. In about 80 or so minutes this project delivers an absolute avalenche of sounds and ideas that really elevate it above your average black metal album. All of the „Angel of…“ interlude tracks are really nice and make the whole thing feel more conceptual and complete, but the core in typical Liturgy fashion 10-minute or so long songs are obviously the heart of this album. I mean just listen to the title track, that song just couldn’t be made by an actual living human. And the shorter tracks go unreasonably hard too, like I still have a little bit of a bias towards Liturgy’s last project „H.A.Q.Q.“, but even I have to say that this is overall just a more ambitious and a more complete body of work. I mean honestly, besides a few nitpicks here and there this thing is almost perfect who am I even kidding.

Decent 9/10

Lovejoy – Wake Up & It’s Over

It’s kinda impressive how this band went from a sort of guilty pleasure of mine to now actually releasing some unironically great music – like the opening track „Portrait of a Blank State“ is just straight up their best song and it’s honestly kinda funny how it’s not even close. The rest of the project is fine too, I really enjoy the single „Call Me What You Like“ and some of the other songs too but realistically nothing compares to that first track, like that song gets stuck in my head at least 5 times a day now. So yeah, definetly their best effort so far overall.

Decent 7/10

Depeche Mode – Memento Mori

This is the best Depeche Mode has sounded since the 90s and I will die on that hill.

Light 8/10

The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein

This album alone cured my insomnia. I mean seriously, how do you have SUFJAN STEVENS, PHOEBE BRIDGERS and FRICKING TAYLOR SWIFT all on the same album and make it this long-winded and unintresting. Like okay, the Sufjan Stevens song isn’t all bad when you first put it on but the more this album goes on you realise that that’s literally the best this album has to offer. Overall just an absolute snooze fest and a complete disapointment, I seriously don’t remember much of anything from this.

Strong 3/10

Waterparks – INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

It’s like a combination of some new Bring Me The Horizon songs, Hobo Johnson and One Direction… Make of that what you will. Anyways with this being my introduction to the band I have to say I’m very unsure how to feel about this – like some of the ideas are really cool but fall completely on their face in execution, some songs are just catchy enough for me to overlook that and some are just… Yeah. Like from what I’ve caught here and there the lyrical themes are actually really cool at points, talking mostly about religious trauma, manipulative relationships and so on, but after the first two actually kinda intresting sounding songs (even though maybe a bit for the wrong reasons) the sound of this album just boils down to really generic pop punk-ish (emphasis on the pop) riffs and hand clap beats. So yeah, I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt this indecisive about a project, like I said the lyrical themes are actually really intresting, but the sound of this project just isn’t for me for the most part.

Light 4/10

Metallica – 72 Seasons

I mean sure, but do the songs REALLY have to be 6 minutes long when they are literally just the same unintresting riff repeating over and over again? Like the only thing saving songs like this (which unfortunately make up a decent chunk of this album) are the solos which are actually up to old Metallica standarts, but besides that the only songs that are actually intresting all the way through are the title track and the last two closing tracks and honestly even those aren’t THAT crazy. At least it’s not St. Anger all over again… This one just gets kinda boring and repetetive after a while.

Decent 5/10

boygenius – the record

The boy really is genius huh.

Decent 8/10

Ed Sheeran – – (Subtract)

The fact that I enjoy this about the same as the new Metallica and waay more than the new The National is something I think about daily, but yeah, this new Ed Sheeran honestly ain’t half bad – like the songwriting is really on point for the most part, the instrumentals sound clean and really natural and not just overblown, like is this even really an Ed Sheeran project? And sure, the songs still are really generic and kinda bleak but there is legitimate soul put behind them this time and even though I probably won’t be returning to this in the near future I still didn’t absolutely hate my listening experience.

Decent 5/10

Black Country, New Road – Live at Bush Hall

After loosing a key member with the band’s former lead singer Isaac Wood the band had to regain their footing and I can safely say that I believe that they achieved just that – this live album is full of new unheard songs that all sound absolutely amazing. The music is lively and colorful and all the new vocalists are a nice change of pace without the band loosing their identity. Songs like the in-your-face opener „Up Song“, the beautiful and energetic „Laughing Song“ and obviously the highly praised 9-minute long „Turbines/Pigs“ all prove that the band is still capable of creating insanely powerful and moving pieces of music. Overall just a really great project as is basically expected from the band at this point.

Strong 8/10

Foo Fighters – But Here We Are

…ouch

Strong 7/10

A match made in heaven.

Yeah so this was kinda insane for me – Danny Brown historically is reponsible for a couple of my absolute favorite albums of all time (especially „Atrocity Exhibition“ which is basically a perfect record for me) and JPEGMAFIA slowely but surely also became one of my favorite MCs to come out of the last decade – what really sold me on him was his 2021 „LP!“ album, that one seriously is just out of this world. So when I heard that these two absolute powerhouses were collabing I was absolutely ecstatic and the singles only submitted this hype further.

However I would just like to get my biggest problem with this album straight out of the way and that is how much of actual contribution to this project is split between the two of them, because at the end of the day this is essentially just a JPEGMAFIA record with a Danny Brown feature on every track. I don’t think a single song on this project was produced by Danny at all – which is a shame since I this man’s beats are some of the strangest most out there and most hypnotic I’ve ever heard. Not to devalue JPEGMAFIA’s production, on the contrary if he excells in anything it’s definetly his production style which is like nobody else’s – but I really think Danny’s production would have only exceeded my liking of this record. Well it is what it is, either way let’s dissect this one a little bit, shall we?

The album opens up with energetic and in your face „Lean Beef Patty“ which features really heavy synths that feel like you’re getting beaten up by the music and I mean that in the most flattering way. The different random transitions and samples are exactly what you would expect from a JPEGMAFIA produced song, it feels very chaotic and out there and it serves as one hell of an opener. My only real gripe with this song is just that Danny is mixed rather… Weird? A little quiet? I don’t know but it doesn’t feel as natural as when JPEGMAFIA is on the beat which is a shame because his verse ain’t bad either but whatever, what can you do, it’s stil a banger regardless. Speaking of bangers the next song „Steppa Pig“ has a really similar vibe to the first song however Danny’s voice is mixed just miles better then it was on the previous one. Plus the longer runtime of this one makes it a much more impactful experience – the production is really glitched and all over the place and you are just never bored. I especially enjoy everytime the main synths hit, JPEGMAFIA is just an absolute beast with the synths on this album. The constant switching up of the instrumentals is really ADHD-inducing but it sounds amazing so who cares. It really feels like 3 different songs mixed into one. Anyways after that is the title track „SCARING THE HOES“ which is like the definition of something that REALLY shouldn’t work on paper but it somehow just does – the clapping beat mixed with what I’m assuming is like a cello of sorts, I mean just reading this without hearing the song you have to say that just doesn’t mash together and yet JPEG once again manages to somehow pull it off. He pulls it off so well in fact that this remains as one of my favorites on the album – I just can’t get enough of how different it sounds. And man when the actual drums and then the bass kick in, it just transports you onto another plane of existence. It’s just so goofy yet it goes so hard, words can’t do the mix on this justice, you just have to hear it for yourself. Next up is the song „Garbage Pale Kids“ which features some realy crazy sampling and a really clunky beat, I honestly wasn’t really feeling this one on my first listen but I’ve grown to appreciate it a bit more. It’s once again very different in a very different way than the other songs are different and not every experiment on this album is as effective to me as others are, however they are all still very well produced and realised so. Also the electric guitar at the end of the song is really what makes this one click for me, like it just comes completely out of nowhere but it wraps up the song really nicely. After this we have another really sample-heavy song with „Fenatyl Tester“ and this one feels especially mysterious. I enjoy the sampling on this one waaaay more, the sampled female voice just sounds absolutely heavenly and Danny Brown goes completely crazy over it. This one is so good that even the hoes have to like it, enough said. Next up is the song „Burfict!“ and this one is THE hype song of this album. The trumpets are probably the best thing that’s touched my ears the whole year and even though the beat isn’t maybe as crazy and out there as some of the others on this album, it’s definetly the hardest and the most infectious. My only problem with this song is just how short it is, this one really could have profited more from a longer runtime. After that we have the double song „Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters“, the first one featuring only Danny Brown and even though I’m not the biggest fan of the beat on this first part and honestly the whole song, Danny really hold his own and carries his part so heavily to the point where it frankly makes up for it. JPEG’s part isn’t bad either, just kinda forgetable, I think my favortie part of the song production-wise is more the really cool transition between the two beats more than the beats themselves. However in terms of beats the next song „Orange Juice Jones“ more than makes up for it which correct me if I’m wrong but is that a fricking Michael Jackson sample I’m hearing? Well either way it sounds out of this world and even though the mix is a bit muddy here, it’s still one of the best beats on the entire album. Danny’s verse is also really good here. Following that we have the track „Kingdom Hearts Key“ another absolute sampling giant – I don’t know the origin of the sample here but it’s probably one of the best on the album (once again). I know this has to be a little tiring hearing this about quite literally every other song on this album, but it really is like that. This song especially honestly, the more I think about it, this beat is probably the most smoothest, most clean and most angelic on the entire project, it doesn’t even feel real. After that is the song „God Loves You“ which features some heavy gospell samples that just go super hard, like this song alone puts basically all Kanye’s gospell songs to shame. I really like the drums on this one aswell, they sounds super crisp and go surprisingly well with the gospell elements. After that we have the short almost interlude-like „Run The Jewels“ which start REALLY promising like the trumpet is super clean and sounds fantastic, however the song then transitions into this spacey almost 80s like beat and it’s over before it can even start – this is definetly the most confusing song on the album, even after hearing this album like a million times over I still can’t give my final verdict on this one. I mean I guess I’m glad it’s on the album you know but not much would honestly change without it, it doesn’t ruin the album but it doesn’t really bring anything to it that much either, it just sort of exists, it has some elements I like but that’s about it. The song „Jack Harlow Combo Meal“ starts of kind like a hotel-lobby-music-interlude-thing before the song just sort of comes and goes into like a million different directions and doesn’t stay at one idea for more than like 5 seconds and as a result this one really feels kinda empty by the time the song ends. „HOE (Heaven on Earth)“ honestly also sort of exists? Like I like the song it has some really cool elements to it, the gospell snippets are really nice, but the beat feels sort of weak to me compared to the earlier songs even though the transition at the end is kinda nice and it makes sense considering this is the second to last song on the record, you kinda want things to calm down a bit before the finnishing track. I don’t know, the final leg of this album just isn’t AS exciting to me as the earlier songs are. Fortunately the album at least finnishes on a strong note with „Where Ya Get Your Coke From?“ which feels like the perfect closer for this album – there is a constant shift between a simple beat consisting of literally just two sticks smashing against each other and an absolute explosion of noise and color, it sounds almost Death Grips-like and I find the contrast between the two very fitting for this album.

So yeah, as to be expected with two artisits like this collaborating, this turned out pretty great. There are some weird mixes here and there I’m not crazy about, I kinda wish Danny Brown had a bit more presence on this album and yeah, the final couple of songs feel almost improvised to me at points, but those are all just small nitpicks that ultimately don’t lower my enjoyment of this album as a whole. A really spectacular record for both artists that shows great potential for future releases between the two of them (if we’re lucky).

-favorite tracks: Lean Beef Patty, Steppa Pig, SCARING THE HOES, Garbage Pale Kids, Fenatyl Tester, Burfict!, Orange Juice Jones, Kingdom Hearts Key, God Loves You, parts of Jack Harlow Combo Meal, parts of Where Ya Get Your Coke From?

-least favorite tracks: Run The Jewels, first leg of HOE (Heaven on Earth), parts of Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters

Light 9/10

So yeah… I won’t lie, this new slowthai is insane. From the minute I heard the opener „Yum“ I knew this album was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I mean it’s got everything – from the experimental production, the punk elements, to incredibly heartfelt lyrics and vocals, insane energy throughout, this really feels like slowthai’s magnum opus. Not that he can’t do any better than this, but this is easily my favorite of release of his up to this point.

And probably the best representation of that would be as I already metioned previously the opening track „Yum“ which is easily the best opening track of any album this year hands down, like no competition. It opens up with these abrasive swirling synths that are accompanied by a bunch of fast-paced heavy kickdrums that togeether create this beautiful messy amulgamation of sound over which slowthai repeats the mantra „I’ve been lacking motivation I need an intervention“ setting up one of the album’s main themes. It all feels very dark, very depressed, very hollow and yet super energetic, it’s a sound that slowthai was going for many times in the past but truly mastered on this track in my eyes. In the following spoken-word section he goes over his mental struggles, how he doesn’t feel in control and how therapy has only been adding fuel to the fire that’s building up inside of him. When the song finally kicks in it REALLY kicks in – the twisted glitched sound effects only add onto the dark atmosphere that this track builds and the instrumental drop has to be one of the most rewarding moments of the entire album and that’s just the opening track. Finally the song ends with slowthai having what’s essentially a complete mental breakdown. That also leads perfectly into the next track „Selfish“ another one of my favorites – this one has a much more clear structure but the instrumental is just so catchy I can’t get over it. The guitar lick is strangely mysterious and compiments the otherwise rather harsh instrumental really well – the glitched sound effect that’s being repeated is also a really nice touch. And the instrumental breakdown at the end is just the complete cherry on top, no wonder this one was a single, it’s such an earworm. Next up is the song „Sooner“ which is , I’m already getting sick of saying, but really great. The instrumental is once again instantly recognizable and I really appriciate how natural yet also very robotic everything sounds here. The lyrics on this one are also really morbid at points – it only continues the rabbithole that this whole album embodies even further. After that comes the single „Feel Good“ which to the surprise of noone is a very feel-good song but is more of like a calm before the storm. The song is fine but is very one-note and doesn’t change throughout it’s runtime at all – I guess that’s kinda the point but still, for such a promising song it leaves a lot to be desired but whatever, it doesn’t like ruin the album or anything. Anyways after this we have the song „Never Again“ which is probably the saddest song on the entire album, at least for me it was – the story he portrays here is just so vivid and you can really hear the pain in his voice over loosing this other person, every other line in this song just cuts deep like a sharp knife. The sampled instrumental is also really soothing and fitting for the story, this one’s just a real tear-jerker. After that comes the interlude „Fuck It Puppet“ which is an insane song for it’s runtime, like for just a one minute song to first of all go this hard and second of all to go through one of the most lyrically dense and draining moments on the album. And the harshness just keeps on going from there – the next song „HAPPY“ is ironically kinda like the opposite of „Feel Good“, this song is like the pure musical embodiment of desperation. The repeated „I would give everything for a smile“ chant in the chorus alway manages to cut deep especially with the guitar that’s added in the last stretch of the song, just another completely stunning and haunting song. Which is coincidentally also the perfect description of the following song „UGLY“ – this one has an especially rough mix which is however very much intentional as it gives the song a really strong sense of urgency and complete despair, it’s harsh, it’s real, it’s well… Ugly. The spelling in the chorus would otherwise by really annoying as I tend to release dislike this trend in music, but here it somehow blends in perfectly and I don’t mind it in the slightest. After this we have the song „Falling“ which is honestly up to this point probably the first real dud in the tracklist for me – not to say it’s bad per se, just compared to the other songs this one doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. Like at least „Feel Good“ was really catchy, this one just sort of exists, even though the screaming at the end is admittedly really powerful nonetheless but the song overall works rather as an interlude of sorts, at least that’s how I see it. Anyways after that we have the really punk and energetic „Wotz Funny“. And yeah, this one’s kinda a rager – I especially enjoy the way the guitars are mixed here and the adlibs on the chorus feel almost improvised, the punk energy on this one is just through the roof and I love every second of it, I just wish it was a bit longer. Anyways next up is „Tourniquet“ and if anything is the emotional climac of the album it’s this – the instrumental this time around is really somber and soothing with lush piano melodies and spacey synths however slowthai delivers what’s probably his rawest vocal delivery maybe even on the entire record – this contrast between him and the rest of the song feels really powerful and it’s honestly one of my favorite moments on the entire record. And finally we arrive at the closing track „25% Club“ is essentially just a guitar plucking ballad with just slowthai pouring his heart out over well… Everything. It’s another really powerful piece to the puzzle and even though it’s a really calm closer for such an energetic, all over the place and chaotic album. it fits strangely well. And slowthai’s singing is legitemately beautiful here aswell – I don’t know man, I just really like it, even though it may not be the most ambitious song on the whole album and it’s a really obvious choice for a closer it just works and makes the whole thing really complete which is all that matters at the end of the day.

Tu wrap it all up, this album is for the lack of a better word just amazing. Probably my favorite album of the year so far – it’s demented and twisted, yet beautiful and cathartic, chaotic and unhinged, yet calculated and very precise, it’s basically everything I could have wanted from a new slowthai release and it really surpassed any and all expectations I had for it. Give it a spin if you haven’t yet, you can thank me later.

-favorite tracks: YUM, Selfish, Sooner, Never Again, Fuck It Puppet, HAPPY, UGGLY, Wot Funny, Tourniquet, 25% Club

-least favorite tracks: Falling (if i had to choose one)

Light 9/10

I’m a bit late with this one but that’s because I really wanted to give this review the attention that it deserves – Gorillaz are historically a band I hold in high regard and have a good ammount of expactation for their musical output. This album in particular had a really promising build up towards it, even though basically the majority of the album was released before it even came out. The majority of the songs the band put out during this era were however genuinely great in my eyes, which even escalated my already really high expactations for this upcoming project. Which is why it’s really disapointing to say that this album was overall rather… Well, disapointing. Like it seems the band released all the good song they had prepared for this project beforehand and just decided to fill the rest of the album with just filler passable tracks and called it a day.

To start off, the album opens up with the title track „Cracker Island“ which is probably as good of an opener as this album could have – already when this was released as a single I was absolutely in shock of how much this song goes. The heavy infectious synths start the song off and from there it’s a non-stop energetic ride. Thundercat’s contribution to the song is also really pleasant, the guitar licks and voice ad-libs he adds really elevate the song to new heights. This may just be my favorite song on the album and honestly, even Gorillaz songs period, I can’t get enough of it from the day it came out. Following that we have the first non-single song „Oil“ with Steve Nicks who I would have no idea is even on the track if it wasn’t specifically said in the title. However the song is one of the more decent non-singles – the keys are really what save this one, they are really colorful and catchy, I can’t get enough of those. And the somewhat of a grand finnish is a nice touch too, this song is fine to be honest, just not the best Gorillaz have to offer. Speaking off the next song „The Tired influencer“ I legitemately forgot is even on this album before starting to write this review. It definetly has it’s moments, some of the guitar licks and sound effects in the verses really hit in the right spot, but overall the song just lacks anything that would really make it stand out among the sea of others on this album. This one would honestly fit right in with some of the tracks from „The Now Now“ which isn’t a bad thing per se, it just kinda kills the momentum of the album a bit, but besides that it isn’t like unlistenable. Things do pick up substantially after this point though with the song „Silent Running“ featuring Adeleye Omotayo, another single and this one in particular struck a chord with me – the synths and main melody on this one are just gorgeous. The song does get a bit repetetive after a while but that honestly didn’t lower my enjoyment of the song in any way, because the repeated melody is just so infectious and 2Ds vocals sound super heartfelt to me here, I don’t know, this song just does something to my brain, I can’t help but love every second of it. Now for the next song „New Gold“ with Tame Impala… This one’s a weird one. On one hand OH MY GOSH it’s a Gorillaz song with Tame Impala this is a dream come true right??? And yes, for the most part it is – Kevin Parker’s chorus gets stuck in my head multiple times a day, it’s just such a jam, I can’t get enough of it. No, the problem I have with this song doesn’t lie in that – my issue is with the verses. You see this song also features Bootie Brown who doesn’t do terrible on his verses but man do they pale in comparison to the potential this song had. Like they aren’t bad but just so forgetable that it almost kills the song. And I obviously can’t just rate the song for the chorus part alone so… But yeah, besides that kinda major dud, the good elements of the song still out-weights the bad. The next song is „Baby Queen“, another single, and this song I really enjoyed on release however with some time the song really shrunk on me – it’s still okay, but I just don’t care about it all that much anymore, the story going on throughout the song just isn’t intresting enough nor is the accompanying instrumental. And honestly the same goes for the next song „Tarantula“ – this was surprisingly enough one of my favorites from this album on my couple of first listens but this one just has some really weird production choices that I’m not that crazy about the more I listen to it. However probably the worst offender on this album has to be the big hit from this album „Tormenta“ with Bad Bunny because it’s essetially just a Bad Bunny song featuring Gorillaz and not even a really good one at that, feels like a weak Bad Bunny B-side. And the song doesn’t even go anywhere, all this song has going for it is literally just the Bad Bunny and he doesn’t even do THAT well. Fortunately the second to last song „Skinny Ape“ does pick things up pretty substantially as it provides what’s in my eyes the musical climax of this album – as basically all the songs on this very synth-based album it kicks of with a strong synth-line that slowly evolves into what’s essentially the chorus of the song before going back to said synth-line as a sort of bait-chorus, before finally the song just explodes in sound and color and makes for one of the most musically rewarding musical experiences this album has to offer. Seriously, this song take a bit of patience but when it hits, it really hits. The final leg of this song is just beyond euphoric, I really like what the band did here. And I gotta say, I kinda wish that THIS was the closing track, as it wraps things up almost perectly – the actual ending song we got „Possesion Island“ is fine, but just nothing to write home about. It’s essentially just a guitar-paino ballad that feels really out of place with the rest of the album even though the tune itself is as I said just fine. Though I’ll say the outro of the song has this nice trumpet section that ranks it up a few points, but it’s so short-lived that it honestly barely even counts.

So through and through, this album was a complete mess and a mixbag of songs that range from exceptional and genuinely some of the most ear-grabbing in the band’s catalogue to literally can’t recall how they sound at all. At the end of the day I really expected more from this record but still got some banger tunes with it so it isn’t all bad… Just kinda underwhelming for Gorillaz standarts.

-favorite tracks: Cracker Island, Oil, Silent Running, parts of New Gold, parts of The Tired Influencer, Skinny Ape

-least favorite tracks: Tormenta, Tarantula

Strong 6/10

M83 – Fantasy

After what felt like an eternity we FINALLY got a new M83 album – so did it deliver? Well, it depends on who you ask – some people got everything they wanted from it, some people are really dissapointed. Me personally? Well I’m kind of in the middle with this one – it for sure has its moments, but it’s definetly not even close to the most exciting thing I’ve heard these past couple of months. The album also really falls off in the second half and just sort of fades into the background after a while but it at least kicks off fairly strong – the opener „Water Deep“ combined with the follow-up „Oceans Niagra“ are a nice touch but through and through this album just leaves a lot to be desired. Feels kinda half-baked if you ask me. „Us And The Rest“ is a certified banger though, even though it takes a while for it to get there.

Strong 6/10

Skrillex – Quest For Fire

Wow, this was a pleasant surprise! Really didn’t expect to enjoy a Skirllex record in 2023, but here we are. If this record screams anythig it’s maturity – this is in my humble opinion definetly Skrillex’s best effort to this date. The beats are insanely well produced and mixed and are surprisingly layered and intricate. Really can’t believe that this is the same guy who made Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (which is by the way still an album I will defend to this day).

Light 7/10

Really great record that showed great promise for Skrillex going forward – can’t wait for whatever he gets up to nex- oh…

Skrillex – Don’t Get Close

Yeah no this ain’t it chief. I mean it’s not like unlistenable – „Way Back“ with PinkPanthress and Trippie Redd ain’t half bad and „Real Spring“ with Bladee is honestly even quite good. But besides that it’s just a bunch of sugary soulless but admittedly well-produced half vibes that sort of come and go and don’t leave much of a lasting impression. Don’t understand what happened here considering the first album was so good but yeah, I didn’t get almost anything from this. I guess the album title is quite fitting.

Light 4/10

Model/Actriz – Dogsbody

Yeah I’d rather not show the cover for this (google at your own risk, you’ve been warned), anyways yeah this thing slaps. It’s not quite as perfect for me as it is for many people but it definetly is at least like in my top 10 of the year so far. The dark twisted sounds on this album are given life with lively energetic percussion that glues all of it together seemlessly and really make for an insane ride all the way through. Kinda sounds like a dark version of LCD Soundsystem at points. My only real gripe with this album is probably that the lyrics at points are really… Off-putting I guess? I mean that’s probably a good thing for many people but it can be a bit over-whelming for me personally at points. But besides that yeah, lived up to the hype.

Strong 8/10

Lil Pump – Lil Pump 2

This feels like twice the length it is and I legitemately don’t remember a single note from it. He is obviously trying to relive the glory days of his career here but all the attempts just fall completely flat on their face and are just laughably bad. Also just the „heavy metal“ song alone, enough said.

Light 2/10

Xiu Xiu – Ignore Grief

Another wholesome and fun release from Xiu Xiu! 🤗 Definetly worth listening to if you wanna just chill and listen to some feel-good music! 😝(I am scared for life by this record and this is me trying to cope)

Strong 6/10

Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust

I mean… At least it’s not Mania right? I mean to be fair the first and the last song on this album are legit some of the best Fall Out Boy released in a hot minute, especially the opener „Love From The Other Side“, I mean that song is almost flawless for the Fall Out Boy standarts lately. But yeah everything in the middle I can just take or leave – got me moving a bit here and there, had some catchy riffs at points, definetly a step in the right direction overall. But man if the album cover isn’t ugly to look at.

Strong 5/10

Yves Tumor – Praise A Lord Who… (sorry I ain’t writing all that)

Even though this is probably my least favorite Yves Tumor album so far (which is like saying DAMN. is my least favorite Kendrick album, I mean c’mon it’s still really great), it still packs a serious punch. The hook game isn’t alway there as it usually is, but songs like „God Is a Circle“ or „Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood“ are still some of the best songs to come out all year and some of the deeper cuts aren’t half bad either. I mean this album really has a strong vibe going through it that makes it a really cohesive listen, I’ll give it that. Definitely another very solid effort from Yves, if just a teensy bit forgetable at places.

Light 8/10

100 Gecs – 10, 000 Gecs

As, if not more, unhinged and out there as their debut, the gecs have done it again – this album was not only worth the wait but turned out waay better than i had anticipated from the singles, which except for „Hollywood Baby“ I was all a bit dissapointed in, but they all gained new life in the context of this whole album, „mememe“ especially. This album is everything I could have hoped for with a new gecs release – it’s got a bit of everything, really punchy in your face bangers, goofy ah ska songs about frogs, random ass „songs“ that are essentially just a bunch of sound effects thrown together with little to no rhyme or reason to them, I mean it’s the whole 100 Gecs package. Really solid.

Decent 8/10

Yeat – Aftërlyfe

… like ok but did it REALLY need to be an hour and seven minutes? There is a pretty solid rage album hidden in this, but Yeat really made sure it stays hidden with the ammount of songs on this. „No morë talk“, „Nun id change“, „Split“ and especially „Mysëlf“ are definetly the highlights though.

Light 5/10

The long awaited 6th studio album from the legendary pop-punk outfit Paramore is finally here and I gotta say, this one is really something. I enjoyed the band’s previous efforts well enough, especially their self-titled album and their last LP „After Laughter“ which was in my opinion still the band’s greatest accomplishment up until now, but this new album over here, I gotta say, probably took that place for me. Paramore is back more melacholic and open than ever – this album is essentially just a closer look into the band’s psyche and what’s been going on with them for the last couple of years. Themes of burn-out, depression, isolation, dissociation and so much more are what make up the majority of the album’s lyrical theme and all of it is, as always, accompannied by the band’s performance, who are really giving it their all.

The album opens up with the title track „This Is Why“ which talks about „not wanting to leave the house“ as Hayley puts it because of all the eyes that are constantly on her, feeling like she can’t have even a second for herself. The song right off the back is really punchy and sounds almost like something Paramore would do earlier on, but still with a more modern Paramore spin on it, it’s an excellent opener. Following that we have the song „The News“ which is another punchy in-your-face song, this time around even more so and I have to say that this is probably one of my favorite songs on the entire album. The chorus gets stuck infinitely in my head so many times a day and the pre-chorus is just so spacey and beautiful I don’t have enough positive things to say about it, this song is just the whole package for me. Next up we have the song „Running Out Of Time“ that starts off really slow but absolutely makes up for it when the chorus hits, as this song delivers one of the strongest choruses on the entire album. I especially enjoy the funky guitars on here, they are so dancable and fun in contrast to the dark lyrics, which is something the band excels at. „C’est Comme Ca“ which roughly translates to „it is what it is“ is the next song and although the mix on this one is a bit rough and all around it probably could’ve used another minute or two in the oven, it’s still one of my favorites solely for the fact that it’s, simply put, an absolute banger. Next up is the song „Big Man, Little Dignity“ which is a beautiful ballad with some absolutely stunning musical and lyrical passages, it’s definetly a nice slow-down after the last few hectic songs + the synth work here is surprisingly well done, overall just a really nice song. „Your First“ is up next and this one again picks up the tempo of the album a bit, I really enjoy the distorted guitars on here, they give the song a whole new dimension and just sound super cool, but overall I probably don’t have all that much to say about it besides, it’s just another really solid tune. Next up is the song „Figure 8“ and this one took me a while to appriciate, but once this song clicked, it REALLY clicked. The lyrics on this one are especially really heartfelt, but they are definetly sold by the way Hayley sings them, you can just hear multiple times in the song that she’s absolutely singing her heart out and it’s just so beautiful. The next song „Liar“ is once again a much needed calm after the storm that maybe is a bit forgetable if you don’t get into it right away, but if you manage to do so then this one’s a real tearjerker. The lyrics are really the highlight here, it’s once again all brought to live by Hayley’s angelic vocals that are definetly stealing the show here. „Crave“ is the second-to-last song and this one really hit a special place for me. The song talks about wanting to go back to the good times where everything was more simple and just wanting to do it all again but better this time. And the guitar lick repeated throughout this song is just pure musical euphoria, I can’t get enough of it. So yeah, this song is pretty darn good in my opinion. And last but not least we have the closer „Thick Skull“ which is about as close as you’ll get to the perfect closer for this album. Wraps up the entire album really nicely in my opinion.

So yeah, there you have it – Paramore’s latest studio album „This Is Why“. This is slowely but surely becoming my favorite Paramore album and it’s not hard to see why – the performances, the lyrics, Hayley’s vocals are all firing at 100 on here. And even though the album is only 10 tracks long, the songs are just that good that they make up for the overall shorter track list.

-favorite songs: all of them lol

-least favorite songs: Liar IF I HAD TO PICK ONE IT’S STILL REALLY GOOD

Strong 8/10

Parannoul has done it again.

It should come as no surprise that I adore this band – if you’ve read my review of the band’s last solo studio album „To See the Next Part of the Dream“, that came out in 2021, you know I absolutely loved what the band accomplished there. The pure musical euphoria that album brought me was unmatched by almost anything I’ve heard that year, the seemless blend of shoegaze and dream pop and all other sorts of things resulted in, what’s at least in my eyes, one of the best albums of this decade so far. So it’s safe to say that the expectations I had for this album were set very high but I’m very pleased to report that for the most part they were very much met.

Right of the back I have to say that Parannoul is once again bringing their A-game when it comes to choosing album covers that match the sound – TSTNPOTD had a much more colorful and clear album cover and the sound of the album reflected that perfectly, it really did feel like a beautiful dream. So if that album felt like a warm cozy dream, this feels like the moment after when you wake up. Like the musical emodiment of a cold harsh winter, thinking about the beautiful warm summer. And I gotta say nothing is a more fitting example of that than the first three song on this album. First off we have the opener „Polaris“ – it kicks off with a lush somber guitar playing with only the singing humming a singing over it. Then in typical Parannoul fashion the at-first programmed drums come in with a bunch of orchestral strings backing it all up and it all resolves in this beautiful picture that’s being painted with the music. And then it just… Stops. And OUT OF NOWHERE this giant wave of just so much going on comes clashing right in, overtaking the entire song. And I don’t mean this lightly when I say that it really feels larger than life. All of that builds up right back into the chorus that was first shown in the opening of the song but this time with the whole band giving it their all and comes together just so effortlessly and beautifully, I can’t say enough good things about this song honestly. After that we have the song „Insomnia“ which builds up on the last song very nicely. The trademark Parannoul piano melody that’s being repeated throught this entire song really gives of strong „Beautiful World“ vibes. The song maybe isn’t as grand per se as the last one, but I maybe enjoy it even more then I do the last song – it’s just such a solid vibe throughout it’s entire runtime. The melodies are so gorgeous and it all feels strangely nostalgic – there also just isn’t a second wasted with this song, the structure of it is so free and unpredictable yet strangely logical, Parannoul just have this ability to make the most in theory complicated things seem so easy and effortless. Definetly another one of my favorites. And to finnish this insane three track run off, we have the song „Arrival“, that puts a bit of a spin on the Parannoul formula with them incorporating more horns on this song that work surprisingly well with this sound. I mean they are horns they sound good in basically any context bu once again Parannoul finds a way to make them really stand out and make them sound very pleasant to the ears at the same time. Which brings me to my next point, which is that I really have to commend Parannoul here for really letting loose on the experimentation on this album – it all still sounds very much like Parannoul but you can clearly hear that they are much more comfortable with their sound and aren’t afraid to try new things. Like this song in particular has a very strong GY!BE vibe towards the end of it, like insanely so, it’s definetly one of the most crazy musical moments on this entire album. Anyways next up we have the song „We Shine At Night“ which is like the definition of „the calm after the storm“ – the whole song is very light-hearted and more I guess down to earth and although I tend to skip it sometimes, when I don’t get pulled into it right away, I still think it overall adds to the album experience. It’s also a nice stepping stone between Arrival and the next song „Parade“ which is almost like a two part experience – the first half is similar to the previous song, but I think this one has a little more kick to it, the orchestral elements on this song especially are something to take note off, they seriously elevate the song to completely new heights. However the real magic with this song lies within the sudden build up to the second part of the song which only improves the song further and makes it really feel like the whole package. Also the transition from this song to „Sketchbook“ is like as smooth as it gets. And look, I understand that for some this song may not be as ground-breaking or I guess as what you would expect from Parannoul, but I have to say I was once again pleasantly surprised by this one – it’s definetly a lot different from the typical Parannoul style and I guess there is the criticism that it does drag on a bit too long and doesn’t have all that much to show for it, but I still just have to respect the willingness to go out of their comfort zone and try to experiment. So yeah, maybe not the most exciting song on here but in my humble opinion still a pretty solid addition to the track list. Next up we have the song „Imagination“ that is much more low-key and shorter then some of the other songs on here and while it is still very good I honestly could probably have it removed from this album and not much would really change about the experience for me, even though the outro is as expected again really cool. „Sounds Inside Me, Waves Inside You“ is the next track and I don’t have much to say about this one, not because it’s bad but it’s just kinda forgetable – it does feature a really cool kind of breakdown/bridge in the middle of the song that’s really unexpected but once again keeps the whole album feeling really fresh. That’s one thing with this album, you never really get bored when listening to it, even if you don’t love every idea presented to you, the album just keeps evolving and going through so many different ideas that eventually something is just bound to click with you, although admittedly with a few exceptions the first half of this album really out-shines the second in my opinion. „Blossom“ is the next song and again I’m grateful that it’s on here, but nothing about it really sticks with me that much – the phases this song undergoes are impressive even for this album though and the horns from earlier make another appearence here + there are some legitemately insane vocal passages towards the end of the song that sound almost emo-ish, which again, more versatility. Things do pick up pretty substantially with the closing song and also the title track „After the Magic“ which has probably the prettiest intro to any song on this thing, the variety of strings and synths always transport me to like a different realm of existence. The rest of the song also feels very climactic and like the end to a movie and the strings are just… Out of this world, they really make you FEEL like this is the ending credits to just I don’t l´know life or whatever corny thing – look it’s just really good okay?

So yeah, that was „After the Magic“ by Parannoul. Honestly I don’t have much of an outro to go along with this (I’m not as good at those as Parannoul are unfortunately) but this is just another really great album from Parannoul, that’s about all you need to know. For me personally it didn’t quite reach the highs of TSTNPOTD but it was still an amazing other-worldly experience that I highly suggest you give a shot.

-favorite tracks: yes

-least favorite tracks: parts of some of the songs in the second half

Strong 8/10

What the hell just happened.

Yeah so this apparently is actually real – Lil Yachty out of all people dropping a potential album of the year in the form of an hour long neo-psychedelic rock record and yes it is actually as bonkers as it sounds on paper. I mean I’ve seen many comparisons of this record to Tame Impala but this is legitimately better then Tame Impala’s last album and it’s somehow not even close. So let’s stop messing around and jump right into this thing, shall we?

The album opens up with the larger-than-life „the BLACK seminole.“ which when I first put this album on only having heard „Poland“ from Yachty at that time… Well saying my mind was blown is an understatement. This track is a 7 minute long epic that just only keeps on getting better – it starts with these swelling synths that slowely but surely transition into this Pink Floyd-esk explosion in sound that just sounds like something straight out of The Dark Side Of The Moon which is something I thought I’d never say about a fricking Lil Yachty song but here we are. Lil Yachty’s drenched in reverb voice goes surprisingly well with this sound, he sounds super natural and comfortable on this song and that’s only the beginning of the song – then out of nowhere come these heavenly guitar riffs that just overwhelm the rest of the instrumentation and sound legitimately just out of this world. After this whole thing is over a much needed break is provided to us before the final leg of the song kicks in and oh boy did Yachty save the best for last. Nothing I can say can really do those final 2 minutes of this song justice so just please go listen to it, if it has to be anything from this album make it this song. After that crazy intro we have the song „the ride-“ which actually builds on the previous song very nicely. It’s definetly not as explosive in sound nor as ambitious but it continues the vibe of the album very well and the guitar licks and synthwork are as amazing as ever. „running out of time“ is the next song and this one didn’t quite hit the musical peaks for me as the last two did but what really makes this one stand out is that the production on this song was done by none other than Magdalena Bay so I just have to love it either way. No but seriously, this is another pretty good song of the bunch – by this point you kinda accept that this is the sound Yachty is going for so the shock factor is kinda gone but the more you start to appreciate the little things in the production of this thing, it really feels like the musical equivalent of just an explosion of colors. Next up are the songs „pRETTy“ and „:(failure:)“ which I put together here because I think these are probably the most forgetable songs on the whole album and I actually just have nothing to say about them, except that the latter of the two is I guess a solid transition into the next two, which spoiler alert, are the polar opposite of the last two. So speaking of which the next two songs „THE zone-“ and „WE SAW THE SUN!“ are in a way two parts of one big song (yeah you can kinda tell where the Pink Floyd comparisons are coming from) and are both just amazing. „THE zone“ is a pretty solid way to kick this whole part of the album of, the highlight here is definetly the drumming, which you can say basically about the entire album, but this song especially just something about the way those drums are mixed is just so clean and crisp, it’s heaven to the ears. This song also has an amazing outro that just in the smoothest way imaginable transitions into the follow-up song „WE SAW THE SUN!“ which is equally as good or I’d say even better then it’s predecessor. I mean this song just makes you FEEL like the sun is shining right on you and everything is just the way it should be. Also whatever happens with Yachty’s vocals around the 2:20 mark in the song? Yeah just that. The next song right after that is „drive ME crazy!“ and there is just one word to describe what makes this song objectively good – the BASS. Well that’s technically two words but still – the bassline on this track is the reason I wake up in the morning. Even though the song itself is kind of all over the place and is lacking in focus a bit the bassline just makes up for all of that in my eyes, it’s seriously that good. Right after that we have „IVE OFFICIALLY LOST VISION!!!!“ and with this track I’ve officialy lost my ability to find bad things about these songs, because this one is RAW. Like Death Grips levels of raw, this tracks doesn’t waste a second in letting you know it’s gonna kick some serious ass. Once the distorted guitar build up kicks in you just know you’re in for a ride and it’s songs like these where I just have to keep reminding myself that I’m listening to a LIL YACHTY project. Definetly one of the most agressive and energetic things I’ve heard Yachty on period. However after that come a few songs that I enjoy but just have at this point nothing new to say about – like take for example „sAy sOMETHINg“, it’s a good song, there is nothing particularly wrong with it, it sounds good when it’s on, but there are simply just not any specific qualities differentiating this one from many of the other song on here. I do really enjoy „paint THE sky“ though, the loud kick drums mixed with the spacey synths sound almost like something that HOME would make and Yachty works surprisingly well on it, it’s once again something completely different but he just makes it work even though it really shouldn’t in theory. The closing track to this thing „REACH THE SUNSHINE.“ is as expected as insane as the opener is – it opens up with this really strange almost burried beat with gradually building synths and different sounds and Yachty just singing his lung out over it when this huge pay-off comes out of the blue that actually build up even more until it slowely fades away into this slowburn orchestral outro that really makes this whole song and album feel complete. So yeah, this song is the definition of a closing track, enough said.

WOW I mean I saw the average ratings for this album being so high and I knew that it was probably gonna be good but nothing could have prepared me for how REALLY good this actually was. Like I’m genuinely impressed this is the same guy that made „Poland“. So yeah, I mean it goes without saying but just give this album a shot, I think you’re seriously not gonna regret it.

-favorite tracks: the BLACK seminole.; the ride-; THE zone-; WE SAW THE SUN!; drive ME crazy!; IVE OFFICIALLY LOST VISION!!!!; paint THE sky; REACH THE SUNSHINE.

-least favorite tracks: pRETTy; :(failure(:; sAy sOMETHINGg

Decent 8/10