Music Reviews

It only took 4 years but here we are.

The Cornflakes is a band for which I have a special place in my heart – they were the first concert I ever attended after all (not counting the one concert I went on with my parents when I was like 6 or 7). Now it’s been about 4 years since the band’s last body of work with their breakout LP „Pomoc!“ which had some obvious mixing issues and was all around really rough around the edges, but it still showed great promise for the band, especially with tracks such as „Kazatel“ or „Neznámý Hrdina“. The rough unfiltered sound with the raw vocals, heartfelt lyrics and hard-hitting breakdowns of those tracks and many more was a formula that The Cornflakes adapted here and only went on to perfect more further down the line.

Which brings us to day – after 4 years and a few singles the band finally came out with their brand new 4-track EP „Zpověď“ – so how does this one hold up? Well right off the back I’ll at least say one thing – the 4 year wait was definitely worth it at least in the mixing department. These songs sound crisp and sharp as a rock (whatever that means – point is they sounds miles better than the ones on the band’s previous project). Now this project isn’t necessarily anything all that new to the people that have been keeping up with the band’s work since all the songs from here have already been released as singles in the last few years. They do however make up for somewhat of a cohesive experience for such a short project.

Let’s start with the opener and also the title track „Zpověď“ which opens up with this triumphant riff that immediately grabs your ear. After that the rest of the instrumentation comes crashing in and it makes for one heck of an opening act. The drums are super sharp and mix really well with the riff. The chorus is also really memorable even though it’s not my favorite off the EP (don’T worry, we’ll get there). Overall it makes for a really solid opening track even though I’m not crazy about some of the verses, but the song does pick up the tempo quite a bit towards the end which kinda balances that out for me.

The follow-up track „Milióny“ is one I really enjoyed already when it released as a single. I gotta say the part that always completely sells me on this song is the key-synth bridge leading into the chorus, that has to be like one of the most experimental moments in the band’s catalogue so far and the risk payed off big time. It sounds amazing especially when paired with the guitars and the spoken word fits the mood also quite well. Also the chorus bangs quite a lot if I do say so myself. I like this one even better than the first song, an instant classic for the band right here.

Speaking of more experimental songs… The second to last song „To Jsi Ty“ has the most gorgeous intro I’ve heard not just in the band’s discography but kinda like overall just in a while? The song’s sentiment is infectious from the moments the singing kicks in. If it wasn’t for the last song on this album, this one would easily be my favorite, even though it is kinda tied for me. I have little gripes with this one, my biggest issue is that even though the eventual heavy part of the song sounds really good on a technical level, I really think the song would have benefited from being only the softer part just by itself – I like the song regardless though, definitely another big highlight.

And look, even though the closer „Bellum Iustum“ is the oldest of the songs here, so the mix is kinda rougher than the other song on here, I still think I enjoy it about the most, mostly for nostalgia reasons, but also because the song is just an absolute unhinged banger from front to back. The singing is the rawest, the breakdown is the nastiest, overall just the perfect mosh-pit song. The mixing does still stand out on this one though, so I can’t just turn a blind eye to that. Still a banger, as good as I remember it being.

So, overall what do I think of this one? If I had to call it one thing I’d call it an improvement – it’s clear that this album is just on a whole nother level quality wise compared to the last. There are still many issues I have with it, don’t get me wrong, but for what it is, I think The Cornflakes just made a really solid EP that hopefully is a sign of what’s to come (meaning hopefully an LP, pleasibegyouguysiwroteyouareviewcomeon).

-favorite tracks: Milióny, To Jsi Ty, Bellum Iustum

-least favorite tracks: Zpověď (if I had to pick)

Light 7/10

(light profanity warning at points for this one) I REALLY should be writing the Travis Scott review by now but man I just had to review this – I was casually browsing album of the year as per usual when I stumbled upon this… Thing. I couldn’t belive my eyes! I haven’t even listened to it yet, that’s how badly I wanted to write this one. So what I’m gonna do, is give each song its own little review segment in real time as I listen to them and then summarize my thoughts at the end as usual – oh boy, let’s… Yeah, let’s do this or something.

„Slow Down“ – right of the back the vocalizer at the beginning SUCKS Jesus Christ, 3 seconds in and I want to already rip my fricking ear-drums out, who approved this. Then you have the lyrics and the singing… I mean it’s Dream, what did you expect this to sound like even listenable? It’s genuinely impressive how much of a nothing burger this song is all around, lyrically and instrumentally. It’s like Dream’s little anime fantasy, it feels super disconnected and delusional. The chorus is genuinely God awful too, like HOW is this the highest rated song on here, I can’t even imagine this somehow getting worse.

„Kind Of Love“ – oh yeah, it got worse alright. The plucky guitar beat with the finger snaps sounds like Linkin Park’s „Sharp Edges“ but if all the members were having a stroke. The singing is somehow even less passionate here, the lyrics are as generic as it gets, as is the instrumental, this is barely background music. Even the orchestral elemens feel like super programmed, I can’t stand this, let’s move on.

„Paranoid“ – please just stop. The kickdrum/guitar loop is like something off of the new MGK album, which is NOT a good thing. Then you have the vocal effects after the chorus that are abismal, to say the least, like what the genuine shit happened there, they sound awful. Dream’s harmonizing throughout this entire tracks is like beyond annoying, it’s really unlikeable the way he sings here. With this song I can at least say that the tune is more there than with the previous songs, even though quite literally nothing else improved and some things such as the verses got somehow even worse, so honestly it pretty much evens out. NEXT.

„Spotlight“ – THE GUITAR IS SO PREDICTABLE I KNEW EXACTLY HOW IT WOULD SOUND BEFORE IT EVEN REALLY STARTED HOLY SHIT. Man this song is ESPECIALLY bad. I can’t recall who this is ripping off but it so obviously sounds like somebody else it’s laughable. Also the lyrics in the chorus? Kinda give me the creeps honestly, they don’t sound flattering or wholesome at all. It’s generic, unoriginal, boring beyond words, uninspired, lazy, melo-dramatic, void of any substance or emotion and sounds like something the radio would even refuse to play. How are there still 3 more songs to go Jesus…

„Everest“ – just… no. Young Gravy’s verse is probably the best part of this album so far and that’s saying A LOT. Like I don’t even enjoy the guy’s music basically at all, but his inclussion was an actual breath of fresh air in this. The keys are horrible, one of the worst mixes on the entire album on this one. Without the feature this would handily be the worst song here so far.

„Invincible (like u)“ – I don’t remember a single thing from this song and I just finnished listening to it. Void. Emptiness. Nothing.

„Until I End Up Dead“ – uhhhh, this is trying sooo hard to be like the impactful hopeful closing track and it falls flat on its face. The post-chorus effects are pure auditory torture, they sound actually just horrible. Once again there is just nothing to say here, I’m trying really hard to find any positives here, but it all just sounds so bland, so disconnected and so unexplainably boring, like you have noo idea how boring it all is. It has quite literally the most basic uninspired tasteless musical palette there is. I’m done with this, let’s get this review over with finally…

So yeah… Dream’s first little project here is to the surprise of absolutely no-one devoid of any actual substance and instead it all sounds like bad covers of i-Carly songs, if even those had zero punch to them. Dream sounds bored to tears on his own project (which I would be too if this was what I was making) and is the centerpiece and the main reason of why this album doesn’t work. His delivery and lyrics are childish and really dull and he brings zero actual character to his music. The production choices are mostly questionable, with some occasional decent sounding tracks (at points) that however still get overrun by different issues – there isn’t a single track on here I don’t have a major gripe with or isn’t just overall unlistenable. In short – it’s shit.

-favorite moments: uhhhh chorus of Paranoid maybe??? Let’s see, what else… Oh, some production choices on Slow Down I guess??? And the Young Gravy feature on Everest wasn’t like horrible (even though it’s VERY out of place)… Look I’m really trying here.

-least favorite songs: c’mon…

Decent 1/10

So I’ve been REALLY binge watching hivemind the last few days and with that I also watched a lot of Dev Lemons content. I knew that she has made music in the past but I haven’t really checked if there was anything new she had under her belt recently. So I said why not, decided to look her up on Spotify and what do you know – not even 2 months ago a new EP, her first ever in fact! And look I’ve never really been like a big Dev fan, up to that point I’ve heard like maybe three songs and all of them were you know listenable, but I did really like the song „One Whole Me“ I think she really came into her own with that one. All of this is to say that I was at least familiar with the style Dev usually de(l)ved (get it) into going into this one, so I wasn’t like completely blind.

But yeah, this EP honestly went kinda hard not gonna lie – it’s only 6 tracks but besides one I’m not all that crazy about it’s basically a hit after a hit. It opens up with the song „Cyberpunk Fairy“ which has these just gorgeous piano keys that open it up feel almost distant and kinda mysterious. The beat is really bassy and full of these swirling strings that I really adore, they make the mix sound really rich. But honestly the thing that just kept me coming back to this album is at the end of the day the lyricism – I really find Dev’s lyrical abilities to be genuinely great. Maybe it’s because I find myself relating to A LOT of what she has to say on these songs, but either way it’s conveyed in a really mature way without it being corny and it’s all also delivered very whole-heartedly, it feels super personal and I can’t help but be drawn to that. Anyways, got a little side-tracked there – the opening track is really good. The second song „NIghtstand“ has this really simple plucky repeating catchy beat that I think is very charming and Dev’s vocals just melt like butter over it. The song doesn’t go in like a crazy direction but it’s just so catchy and playful that I still like it a lot, I only wish there was more done with it. The third track „Dizzy Vision“ is one of the more out-there songs on the album – it opens up relatively tame with a snappy calm piano beat that is however very quickly replaced by this almost hyper-pop sounding instrumental with heavy-hitting drums and huge synthy bass hits. And the chorus in this one is just chef’s kiss, it’s catchy, simple yet super effective as are the lyrics, this one is honestly one of my favorites here hands down. „If You Wanna Reach Me“ the 4th song on here is the one I’m probably least crazy about – it just sort of fills the track-list for me, besides the lyrics there isn’t all that much that stands out about it. And honestly something about the chorus just rubs me the wrong way at times, I don’t know, I can’t really explain it. The hyperpop ending feels kinda out of place aswell even though it’s admiteddly kinda cool. „You Tear Me Apart“ does pick things up pretty substantially though, I really like the chorus on here and the melody after it is just heaven to my ears. Not much to else to say here, I do appriciate the Tame Impala-esk finnish to the track, it’s honestly a really nice touch and the few guitar licks sound great. „Think About It“, the closing track, is almost the perfect finnisher for this album – the electric guitar is an excellent choice and it is honestly executed really well, the way the audio is cut out at first and then brought back in and it all just melts beautifully, Dev really shined here, but once again WHY ISN’T longer.

Like seriously, this album is LOADED with great ideas, most of which are executed really well, but the longest song on here isn’t even 3 minutes long. Just stretch it out a bit, some of these songs were essentially just two choruses on top of each other – fantastic chorus with really great lyrics, but still. But yeah, that’s mostly a nitpick, at it’s core, this EP is a huge dub for Dev, at least in my eyes – I really can’t wait for where she goes next. To summarize, good but not enough Eminem impressions, so automatically a 0/10.

-favourite songs: Cyberpunk Fairy, Nightstand, Dizzy Vision, You Tear Me Apart, Think About It

-least favourite songs: If You Wanna Reach Me

ARIANA GRANDE WITH A VENTI LATE/10 (Strong 7/10)

Paraglow is the second collaboration project between the band Parannoul and the singer/songwriter Asian Glow. My experience with these artists is very short but so far very positive – I loved Parannoul’s album that they released last year „To See the Next Part of the Dream“ which was if I recall correctly my second or third most favorite album of that year – the almost magical blend of shoegazy guitars and colorful synths and soundscapes made for what was probably the most beautiful-sounding album of that year, at least for me anyways – now for Asian Glow I first heard about her through her first collaboration album with the band (also with Sonhos Tomam Conta on board) on their album also released last year „Downfall of the Neon Youth“ which I did enjoy but thought that it lacked some of the more catchier moments that Parannoul provided on their solo album. But now they’re back with just the two of them this time around and I gotta say, this one kind of blew my expectations out of the water – it’s not perfect, there are still a few nitpicks I have with it, but I’ll get to all that in a bit.

The EP consists of only 4 tracks however they all pack such an incredible punch (especially one of them) that it more than makes up for it – the first of which being the opener „Hand“ and man does this song have hands. I absolutely love the accoustic guitar on this, it’s just mixed so well, it’s like heaven to my ears and the rest of the instrumentation kicks ass too – the drums are super sharp and over the top (as always) and create this super washed out crazy shoegazy vibe that is only amplified by the electric guitars which once again are just stellar on all of the songs here. What really sells this one though are the synths and especially how they play of the rest of the instrumentation, it just mixes together super effortlessly and the chords constantly keep switching between absolutely gorgeous and kind of spooky, it makes you feel all sorts of things. The singing is also very on point, these guys just have amazing chemistry with each other. Anyways next up we have the song „The Light Side of the Eyes“ that starts of with these mezmerizing keys with just simple drums and really burried strings that create an amazing haunting atmosphere that gets completely just thrown out the window once the rest of the instrumentation kicks in, it’s like a musical punch in the face. Honestly after that though the song starts to drag on a bit, there just aren’t enough intresting ideas in this one I feel like – it starts picking up again towards the end with some seriously impecable harmonizing that I just wish they stretched out a bit longer – I also like the random pauses on the guitar riffs on this one, it keeps the song feeling more fresh and also obviously the outro is just mad on this one, like when I say they go off I mean they go OFF. Well after that comes „Swamp“ that starts with these absolutely beautiful piano keys that once again get cut off by the walls of guitars and drums that come in, however this song does it much more seemlessly than the last one and it feels more natural rather than like an interuption – then once those fade out you’re left with just a few strings that slowly die down too. This one’s pretty short and to the point but it doesn’t leave much of an impact, however it’s runtime justifies that, it’s still a nice addition overall just not as impressive one as let’s say the opener. What is that and even more impressive than that is the fricking 15 AND A HALF MINUTES LONG closer „Wheel“, that is somehow even more epic than it sounds. The song starts off similarly to the first one with just a somber accoustic guitars, some gentle electric guiar licks and a few horns actually, it honestly gives off pretty strong Black Country, New Road vibes. After that the song undergoes many many different phases that all sound better than the previous one, it just constantly keeps throwing new ideas at you and somehow they all just work – they really saved the best for last with this one. The repeated chorus in like the first major section is just so goddamn infectious, the way it’s sung sounds like something Kurt Cobain would have done back in the day, it’s so raw and passionate. The second big section after the build up between the two features some god-like keys and burried melodies, this song really demands your close attention, but the details are so worth it, this song is just so layered and textured, it’s very impressive the ammount of attention to detail here. I also love the weird switch where at first you think the song ends but then comes back again in the most weird way possible with these keys, orchestral strings and weird effects that blend together surprisingly well – then it builds again into what is essentially the climax of the song and yeah this thing just sounds so larger than life it’s insane. This song is easily the best of the album and all the others honestly just feel like a build up to this one.

So there you go, that’s basically Paraglow for you, a beautiful, masterfully crafted project between two amazing artist that have insane chemistry with each other. This is honestly my front-runner for the EP of the year so far and I doubt something will manage to top it off.

Decent 8/10

This one’s a quickie.

Another instalment in the ongoing Weezer „SZNZ“ series is here, so the question has to be asked, is it an improvement over the previous two? Well we’re here to find out.

So the record kicks off with „Can’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me“ a painfully generic but overall fun song that already sounds miles better than whatever was going on on the summer album – still though, the electronics are really obnoxious as is the chorus, also the ending is super abrupt and awkward it just ends like in the middle of the chorus, it’s a really weird choice, but yeah, overall it’s solid. The next song „Get Off On The Pain“ is an enygma – the intro sounds super promising, like the heavy driving guitars sound super good and I love the energy of the track up to that point but once we get to the chorus the song literally just turns into a completely different songs, the two segments just don’t mash together at ALL. The pacing of this song is just completely ruined because of this even though the 2 segments sound good on their own but together they just don’t work in the slightest. Anyways „What Happens After You?“ is a potentially alright song, like nothing mind blowing and a bit cheezy but overall passable but once again, the chorus here not only makes it one of the worst songs on this album and this whole series, the OoOOoooOoOOos are SUPER annoying and ruin a completely okay song. After that we have the song „Francesca“ which yeah sure, it’s generic, it’s melodramatic and yes a bit under-written, however the small part before the chorus where RIvers sings a bit faster, just something about the was he sings that works really well and honestly compared to some of the choruses here so far this one’s not so bad you know. If it wasn’t for some awkward choices (like the obviously thrown in synths that sound super forced and out of place or the last part of the last chorus which makes my ears bleed) this would have been of the best songs of the whole series but as is it’s just alright. „Should She Stay Or Should She Go“ is just a ruined Beatles song, I legit fell I’ve heard this exact song a milion times before a milion times better, super boring and forgetable, moving on. „Tastes Like Pain“ is funny since up to this point this 2 minute interlude unironically sounds better than literally all the full songs here and I’m just gonna let that speak for itself. However I do have to say, the closer „Run, Raven, Run“ I actually enjoy quite a bit – it’s a bit goofy overall but really heartfelt and it’s probably the most solid tune on the album – the switch up in the middle of the song works super well and the build up back to the chorus is very climactic and rewarding, I gotta say probably my favorite song on the whole album, extraordinarily well made closer, just wish the rest of the songs lived up to it.

And there you go, that’s „Autumn“, to the surprise of no-one another mixbag in this SZNZ series – funniest thing about this one is probably the fact that they just completely gave up at least trying to sound like the season they are trying to portray, like this one sounds literally more like summer than the summer one. Still probably the best installment overall so far, not really a compliment though.

-favorite tracks: Can’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me; parts of Francesca; Tastes Like Pain; Run, Raven, Run

-least favorite tracks: What Happens After You?; Should She Stay Or Should She Go

Strong 5/10

…yeah it’s good, duh.

Honestly if we can expect these levels of quality for the rest of the 4 chapters, we’re in for an instant classic from Beach House. The EP is just 4 songs in total, but I honestly believe they really make the most of it. The record opens up with the instantly infectious and soothing title track „Once Twice Melody“ which is like a balsam for soul – the lush production that Beach House are known for is on full-display here, they also flex their ability of blending different instruments together effortlessly on this one. It all makes for a super nice and smooth opener. However I am of the opinnion that the next song „Superstar“ not only tops that, but also tops basically anything Beach House released in a while – that song is an instant earworm that just won’t leave your head at least for the rest of the day, I can promise you that. I strangely enough draw similaritites with this song’s melody and the melody on Ed Sheeran’s „Bad Habits“, it’s like if that song was actually well-written, had a good vocalist and overall was just a good listenable song. But man, as soon as that melody hits around the one minute mark, you transport into another dimension. Now the remaining two tracks „Pink Funeral“ and „Through Me“ are both also decent tracks, the first of the two having a really nice hypnotizing quality to it, with some lush ochestation and as I said hypnotizing drum loops, while the latter being a bit more spacious and ambitious, basically your typical Beach House song in a nutshell. It also incorporates effortlessly some nice electronic guitars that just help elevate the song to new heights, especially when combined with the haunting vocals in the second half of the song and then by the end when the hi-hats hit? It’s the whole package, honestly, this is how it’s done ladies and gentlemen.

So I don’t really have like a creative way to close this off, it’s just really good and makes me supper excited for the whole thing to be out. Also from this point onward I’m not gonna be covering any of the other chapters that come out, you will have to wait for a full review once this whole thing is out :).

Strong 8/10

Alright, so, right off the back, this guy was always really hit or miss with me and it will probably always remain this way – some of the teasers for this project however get me very intruiged in what was bbno$ up to this time, especially with the gorgeous single „Help Herself“ which still remains to be one of my favorite singles this year periodt. Still though, it’s clear that bbno$ is still in the phase of experimentation and is still trying what sound fits him the most, but I gotta say, he really hit the nail on the head this time. This 5-track EP has it’s shortcomings but when it really comes to it, this thing is just all killer no filler – front to back just 13 minutes of pure fun in musical form. The opener „sorry“ is one of those songs that may not grab your attention at first listen, but once it clicks, it just fricking clicks – the rush of dopamine I get from this song everytime I hear it is just unbelievable. The production is immaculate, the rapping is on point, for all my money (pun so much intended) it just works. The following title track „my oh my“ takes a much more mellow approach, it’s much more calm and tame in comparison, however the tune is certainly there, it’s still catchy as hell and overall keeps the momuntem going fairly enough to where it’s not out of place but still manages to smoothen things up, which works perfectly for the next cut, the remix of „help herself“ with none other then Benee and the chemistry here is unmatched, it goes without saying that Benee kills her verse here and her vocal contributions compliment the song quite well. Now the fourth track here is also probably the most underwhelming of the bunch – „bad to the bone“ is not a bad song as the title may suggested, it’s just really underwritten compared to the rest of these cuts – the beat switch is cool though and I like some of the melodies here, it just that the core melody isn’t enoug hto carry the song. Now last but not least we have the closer „help herself“ which I just can’t get enough of – this song is an aboslute joy to listen to. Bbno$’s vocals sound just so defeated and broken, I adore the melody here and the song just gets better the more you listen to it – this more indie approach is really what Bbno$ shines at the most.

Now while this little project does contain some fatal flaws, biggest one being that there is just zero ambition whatsoever, it still is a fulfilling and statysfying listen, really hyped for the whole studio album now.

Strong 6/10

Alright alright, this one is a quickie…

So, Wilbur joined a band, huh? The important question we’re all asking though is – is the music any good? And I can happily report to you that yes – for the most part anyway. There are some pretty major flaws but other then that, I’m just impressed by the sheer musicalship of this album – it’s just a bunch of dudes being dudes and it works like a goddamn charm.

Now there are just four song on this four song EP (who would have guessed?), which don’t really varry in quality, they are all relatively well made indie rock song with one thing holding all of them back – the mixing. The mixing on this album is very… Ammateurish to say the least. Some could argue that the rough around the edges mix benefits the raw sound of the album, but I just don’t feel like that’s the case – the ideas are still present there though, I just think that with some better production and more of a vocal presence from Wilbur, this thing could go from good to outstanding. The opener „Taunt“ is probably my favorite song on here, really cool Arctic Monkeys inspired guitar work, with horns that just add so much to the mix, it sounds so much richer and so much more sweet to the ears. The follow-up „One Day“ is much more poppier in comparison, the drum work on this song is something else truly and honestly. I like the catchiness of it, it’s just a really fun song, the tune is certainly there. The second to last song „Sex Sells“ lives rent-free in my head and I’m not even mad about it – being the longest song on here it manages to keep my attention all the way through, the chorus is the main selling point here. Now the closer „Cause for Concern“ is nothing special but it does it’s jov right, closes the whole thing off fairly well – once again I really like the trumpet here, it just adds so much.

So yeah, if this project shows anything for this up and coming band is mostly potential – with some proper mixing and once Wilbur gets his vocals more worked up, this can be the start of something truly special.

Decent 6/10

So I’m gonna keep this sweet and short, sort of like the EP itself. This little project from the phenomenon known as ECCO2K is definetly his most abstract and adventurous yet. Instead of his usual ambient production, ECCO2K uses more abrasive approach to things here with the usage of electric guitars, walls of insane synths and sounds and even dabbles into noise music on the last track here. It’s a really weird yet captivating mixture of sounds that definetly showcases ECCO2K’s, in my opinion, not fully realised potential.

The EP consists of 5 tracks, one weirder and more abstract then the other – first we have the opener PXE which is barely a song, just a mixture of random sounds and sound effects, a somewhat haunting mixture in that. The follow-up „In The Flesh“ is the most truly ECCO2K song on here, but even that uses some really tasteful electric guitars and a really creative 8-bit beat, when it all clashes together in the last leg of the track, it really comes full circle. The song „Jalouse“ goes further down the rabbit hole with more accoustic approach to things with noise freak outs placed throughout the track. „NO***’s Song“ is indeed a song, or at least I think it is – by this point in the album I forgot what actual music sounds like. Still, the song showcases more of the same insanity the first track presented with more rhyme and reason to it this time around. The closer „Big Air“, which is also the longest song on here (that doesn’t say much, considering it’s still just 3 minutes long) is a harsh noisy ballad with some really smooth almost magical electronic keys in the background – it helps to distract you from the fact that the rest of the instrumentation sounds like a tortured vaccum cleaner. Still probably my favorite song on here, if you can even call it that.

So uh, I have no idea what have I just listened to and neither do you, so don’t even pretend like you do. Still I found this to be a very exciting and for lack of a better word intresting project, definetly check it out if you haven’t already, I’m really hyped up to see this new sound fully realised on a new project from ECCO2K.

Light 7/10

Alright so I listened to the whole EP about 4 times now (sounds cooler on paper considering the album is three songs and 12 minutes long) and I gotta say, this is EASILY the best thing Drake has been involved in since „If You’re Reading This…“ – like what the heck man, you just can’t drop this out of the blue and expect me not to lose my mind. It’s not even that there is much to talk about, the EP is literally just 3 songs, but all of these songs manage to prove one thing – Drake’s still got it.

Alright so let’s take this track-by-track, shouldn’t be too hard considering the album’s tracklisting, right? The album opens up with the kind of rough but charming „What’s Next“ featuring some heavy synths and what sounds almost like a „Whole Lotta Red“ type beat – Drake rides those typical flavoured trap beats with some cold confident flows and introspective lyricism that follows him throughout the whole EP. Drake also gives a little time to shine to the instrumental at the end, as he does with all the other songs on here – really shows you that he actually cares about what he’s doing here. The second song in the tracklist is the song „Wants adn Needs“ featuring Lil Baby, which sounds like an „Astroworld“ leftover, though in a good way – Lil Baby shows up almost immidiately after Drake’s few introductory lines and absolutely murders the beat, just absolute slaughter – Drake’s delivery is also purposefully a little off-key in again, it somehow manages to work pretty well. The closer „Lemmon Pepper Freestyle“ may actually be my favorite here, soulely beacause of the instrumental, which is actually just pure bliss to my ears and compliments Drake’s delivery insanely well – I’m just blown away by this point in the EP, this is actually just stunning.

Soo… Yeah, Drake’s new „album“, pretty good huh? I mean besides the fact that it’s literally just a collection of 3 songs, all of them bang better then the previous one – it all has a lot of replay value and depth, that even though it’s just 12 minutes long, there is still so much to go through and dig into. Overall just a great project, really giving me hope for the full album that hopefully drops this year.

Decent 8/10