Babytron – “Out on Bond Again” review

New surprise mixtape & the 12th overall from Detroit emcee Babytron. Coming up as a member of the ShittyBoyz along with his childhood friends Stanwill & TR Dee signing to Lando Bando’s own The Hip Hop Lab Records, he also branched out on an impressive solo career for himself as well as the side groups Lewis & Clark and the Dookie Brothers. But the last couple years was probably his biggest yet landing interviews ranging from No Jumper to even Rolling Stone following the release of Luka Trončić until signing with EMPIRE Distribution later that same month & Bin Reaper 2: The 2nd Coming that same fall. Bin Reaper 3 ended the trilogy with a 2-disc effort, the bootleg Style EP wound up being disappointing & the full-length LP 6 made up for it as did Megatron 2. His collab mixtape Mario & Luigi with Certified Trapper wasn’t all that great either, Tronicles was cool, Luka Trončić 2 did a solid job of recapturing the energy of the original & now he’s Out on Bond Again.

The title track sets it all off with a Detroit trap beat talking about recently getting caught with a controlled substance in Atlanta, Georgia whereas “Barkin’” includes a line about juggalos, alluding to the fact that Motown Rage fronted by his dad Mr. Sadistic was signed to Psychopathic Records almost 2 decades earlier. “2026” references former The Crash Mundial Pesocompleto Campeon & NXT Tag Team Champion Cinta de Oro leading into “JJ” talking about being a self-made millionaire.

Rio da Yung O.G. joins Tron for “911” produced by Danny G to spit some of that gangsta shit while “USA” talks about visiting almost every state in the country. “Tell Me” makes a reference to both former 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena and former CWA Heavyweight Champion, 6-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, TNA Wrestling co-founder & AEW’s current Director of Business Development Jeff Jarrett.

“Geek Time” featuring 1900Rugrat finds the 2 decently trading a handful of brief verses with one another while “Curtis Granderson” reaches the halfway point experimenting with a funkier vibe instrumentally talking about taking anyone’s money if they’re giving it away. “Goldeneye” refers to one of the greatest Nintendo 64 games of all-time while “iCarly” featuring BLP Kosher displays their chemistry with each other over a Pi’erre Bourne beat, including a reference to WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson’s fight against former WWE United States Champion Logan Paul’s brother Jake.

Jorjiana appears on the single “Carhartt” talking about their experiences of being Michiganders but once “Offset” combines a cloudy backdrop & some 808s explaining that one’s life would be the cost of fucking with the Dog $hit Militia at large, “Say No to Drugs” hops over an uncanny Jakesand instrumental talking about people living in the past because of discontent regarding their lives in the present day & suggesting those who ain’t benching enough to get their weight up.

“Rice Street” featuring Scatz trades the mic back-&-forth with each other for the entirety of a singular verse referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 7-time WWE world champion, 7-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker alongside WWE Hall of Famer, former SMW Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE world champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 12-time WWE tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion Kane while “Wondering” asks himself who’ll be there when shit gets sticky. “IDK?” ends the tape with him confessing to the uncertainty regarding of how he’ll pass.

The original Out of Bond extended play is widely considered by many Babytron fans to be the weakest entry across his entire discography & the sequel makes some slight improvements above it’s predecessor although I wouldn’t put it in the same category as Luka Trončić or the Bin Reaper trilogy. There are only a couple guests that I could’ve done without, but I’d love to hear Danny G or Jakesand produce an entire body of work for him since I feel like they’re the ones doing the Detroit sound best presently & I like that it’s a bit shorter than some of Tron’s latest output.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sonnyjim – “Chinatown Chicken Tour” review

Here we have the 18th EP from Birmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom emcee/producer Sonnyjim. Making his debut in the summer of 2011 with The Psychonaut, he would go on to drop 8 more albums as well as his last 17 EPs & a mixtape. Most notably the No Vi$ible Means of Income trilogy produced by Giallo Point, the Buckwild-produced Coke Le Roc, the Illinformed-produced The Chemistry Must Be Respected, the Leaf Dog-produced How to Tame Lions, the Camoflauge Monk-produced Money Green Leather Sofa, White Girl Wasted and finally the Lee Scott-produced Ortolan & Armagnac. Coming off the moderately received Golden Parachute a few months earlier, Sumgii’s being brought in to fully produce the Chinatown Chicken Tour.

“Muse” begins with a psychedelically dark boom bap instrumental talking about knocking muhfuckas off horses with an entire kilo of ketamine whereas “Marsellus Wallace” asks for God to have mercy on him & his squad because they’ve never broken a promise. Phaze What’s appearance on “Flakey Flakey” is truly the only feature that I could’ve done without despite the the lo-fi beat or the lyrics about cooking cocaine a kitchen with a pastry chef beside him.

The late アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, TNA World Tag Team Champion, WCW World Television Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 7-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, 4-time WWE Intercontinental Champion & 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall gets referenced on “Buttermilk” just before “Edan” featuring Jehst reaches the halfway point talking about dirty money being persy to them as opposed to others considering it to be a lot.

“Capital” featuring Dream McLean after the “Kate Fried Chicken” interlude finds the 2 spending 109 seconds advising to never disrespect either one of them while “Mandy & Rosé” featuring Tha God Fahim strips the drums completely so they can talk about maintaining their composure rather than getting caught in their emotions. “Guinea Fowl” featuring Lee Scott returns to the boom bap making way for them both dropping hardcore verses without a hook & “Dru Ha” spends the last couple minutes saluting Duck Down Music Inc.’s co-founder of the same name.

Sumgii has had a hand in producing some of the greatest UK hip hop that I’ve heard within the past 15 years, so the idea of him doing an entire extended play with Sonnyjim was only a matter of time & it wound up being the most I’ve enjoyed a project from the latter since No Vi$ible Means of Income 3 almost a year & a half ago. Sonny’s luxurious penmanship & the Potent Funk Records co-founder’s atmospheric boom bap production make a great pairing for less than a half hour with the guest list being near-flawless.

Score: 4/5

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DJ Sam Seed – “The Unaligned” review

This is the solo debut extended play from London, England, United Kingdom producer & disc jockey DJ Sam Seed. Someone’s who caught my attention in the last couple years after producing the “Chardikala (Chardi Color)” interlude off Chino XL’s 6th album Darkness & Other Colors in November 2024 as well as “Rafiki Books” off Vinnie Paz’ 9th album God Sent Vengeance almost 6 months afterwards. He would sign to the Croydon underground imprint Hidden Hobby Records this past summer & has compiled The Unaligned as a way of properly introducing himself.

“Live on the Road” by Blade & Kool Keith opens up with both MCs over a rap rock beat explaining that each of them knows who they are whereas “Digging My Grave” by Eskar & Ill Bill finds the pair talking about doing things their way. “Whole New Chapter” by Kurious & Only1OnlySon works in a soul sample so they can show off their lyrical fluencies leading into “Freedom or Death” by Ill Sykes, Lord Goat & Ruste Juxx suggesting not to waste your breath since those are our only 2 choices.

Ghostface Killah joins bood & Montener the Menace on my personal favorite song “Wu Who?” blending hardcore & industrial hip hop just before “Drive You Insane” by Cymarshall Law, Farma G & Hypnopottomas continues the sampling talking about troubles & pain plaguing the world as we know it. “False Narrative” by Lord Goat & Scorzayzee hops over a piano to boast their respectively scientific scriptures prior A-F-R-O & Jr. Disprol sending it all off by having them set the “Microphone on Fire”.

Noticing that rappers from the both UK & the United States remain largely unaligned even when they share the same artistic ideals & many local producers around DJ Sam Seed’s neck of the woods landing international placements to this day, he amasses a guest list of veterans from both counties who prioritize integrity over fame paying homage to older hip hop icons & established talent from the current underground scene whilst showcasing younger emerging artists who haven’t been given a platform until now. The Unaligned represents unity, the long enduring sound of global underground hip hop through the decades & a symbol of what can be achieved when those who are unaligned with the mainstream band together for a greater good.

Score: 3.5/5

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Supastition – “According to…” review

Here we have the 5th studio LP from Greenville, North Carolina veteran Supastistion. Making his full-length debut in 2003 after 7 Years of Bad Luck his debut mixtape Under the Table was welcomed to more mixed feedback & the sophomore effort Chain Lettersrecaptured the acclaim of his debut EP The Deadline under Soulspazm Records. Splitting Image following Leave of Absence gave us 2 different sides of him on wax while Gold Standard preceding The Blackboard & Honest Living came independently through his own label Reform School Music after I had graduated high school. Over a decade later, According to… produced by RJD2 succeeding Sacrifice as well as Every Last Word & All That Was Left Unsaid had me excited at the idea of possibly being a career highlight for Kam Moye that would reaffirm his longevity.

“Back Talk” begins with a bit of a hardcore industrial hip hop vibe letting him talk his shit whereas “1 Last Time” takes the boom bap route instrumentally to acknowledge that a moment like this might not ever come again. “Machines Like Us” moves forward by talking about never sleeping & working us until the day he dies just before “Wins & Losses” featuring J-Live finds the 2 explaining that they have everything to gain & nothing to lose.

J-Live sticks around for “Expiration Date” talking about how timeless their lyrical freshness will remain leading into the funky “Reset (Better Friends)” venting over his recent desires of getting a new group of homies. “Beasts Per Minute” on the other hand lively kicks off the 2nd half referencing 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair.

“The Mourning After” recalls the hardships he’s faced within the last couple years while “Bittersweet” hops over a boom bap instrumental telling a woman he’s no longer seeing that he hopes the world ends on her wedding day. “Carte Blanche” ruggedly dismisses any fool who think’s he’s on the same pedestal as them artistically & once “Rent Money” featuring STS jazzily talks about stressing over having a low amount of money, “A Beautiful Ending” concludes by proclaiming that we need to live every day like it’s our last.

Chain Letters has been my personal favorite entry in Supastition’s underappreciated discography for the longest time, but my hopes for According to…were significantly raised when I learned RJD2 was fully producing it because Deadringer sticks out amongst the greatest releases in Definitive Jux’s entire catalog & those expectations were exceeded needless to say. Both artists merge their distinct styles to push creative boundaries while staying rooted in classic hip hop sensibilities & deliver something that feels unexpectedly familiar.

Score: 4.5/5

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DJ Chase B – “Be Very Afraid” review

DJ Chase B is a 35 year old DJ, producer & songwriter from Houston, Texas known for being a longtime in-house producer/DJ for Cactus Jack Records. He also dropped a few stand-alone singles under Columbia Records at some point during the late 2010s/early 2020s like “Mayday” by Sheck Wes & Young Thug or “Cafeteria” by Don Toliver & Gunna, departing in 2022 & continuing to tease a curated solo debut with that “Ring Ring” track he dropped by Don Toliver & Huncho Jack few summers ago. He finally announced Be Very Afraid formally last weekend & Cactus Jack’s ready to put it out without a major label distributor.

After the titular intro, “Satellite” by SoFaygo samples “KELEBU” by Rema for a Mania outtake asking for his partner not to turn her back on him whereas “Rain” by Sheck Wes talks about pulling up with his squad being the only thing he needs. “Facts” by Big Sean & Travis Scott flips “1 Love” by Cleo Sol looking to capture a W if it’s a big one leading into “365” produced by Cardo experimenting with the Detroit sound even if Babyface Ray & GT’s verses clear Zona Man’s.

“Back in My Bag” by Dougie F might be one of the weaker cuts here mediocrely talking about being in his zone once again & after the compositional “Seoul Glow” intermission, “Off at 7” by Sheck Wes talks about being only a couple hours away from having his lover by his side. “Street Sweeper” by Swae Lee was more enjoyable than “Flammable” suggesting he’d call this a comeback despite never actually leaving while “Ring Ring” was a tolerable pop rap single with secondary influences of trap & contemporary R&B.

HVN gets a song of his own with “Options”, rounding out 3rd with another snoozer talking about turning his lifestyle into a hobby while “1st Round Pick” by SoFaygo & Wallie the Sensei tells the women they’re romantically involved with to quit acting like they can’t stand either one of them when they’re actually looking forward to the day they become their bitches. “Indie**” by bribandz wraps up Be Very Afraid talking about chasing a legacy rather than clout & money endlessly coming her way.

It’s already been hinted that DJ Chase B intends to make a whole entire series out of Be Very Afraid & although every artist presently signed to Cactus Jack Records making an appearance on his was a given, I still found myself on the fence with it a lot more than I had initially anticipated to. Both of the instrumental cuts caught me by surprise since I didn’t think he would drop them without having a performer over them & the guest list is alright, but it can feel dated at times.

Score: 2.5/5

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Gorillaz – “पर्वत” review

Gorillaz is a virtual band from London, England, United Kingdom masterminded by Blur frontman Damon Albarn. Their eponymous 2001 debut produced by Dan the Automator as well as their 2005 sophomore effort Demon Days produced by Danger Mouse & lastly the self-produced Plastic Beach have all become classics in their own rights, even though The Fall & Humanz would leave audiences divided. The Now Now was more moderately received & Song Machine was hailed as their best in a decade, coming off their Cracker Island to declare their independence from Parlophone Records & Warner Records with their 9th album.

Black Thought appears on “The Moon Cave” after a primarily compositional intro desiring for a better bond if forever actually comes whereas “The Happy Dictator” blends synthpop, neo-psychedelia, new wave, art pop, psychedelic pop, zolo to sing about false promises of happiness. “The Hardest Thing” fuses art pop, psychedelic pop, electropop, neo-psychedelia, progressive pop & bedroom pop to explore themes of loss & heartbreak leading into “Orange County” featuring Kara Jackson singing about losing somebody through separation crossing over art pop, indie pop, neo-psychedelia, pop reggae, psychedelic pop & bedroom pop.

“The God of Lying” by Joe Talbot made for a decent neo-psychedelia, art pop, psychedelic pop, pop reggae, dub & trip hop single singing about grief & political division just before “The Empty Dream Machine” featuring Black Thought reunites the pair so they can discuss being chastened men. “The Manifesto” by Proof & Trueno however comes through with a 2-parter pulling from experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, folkhop, Indian pop, pop rap, psychedelic pop, hardcore hip hop, art pop & Latin rap to talk about morality.

We have Gorillaz confronting “The Plastic Guru” only to call him out because or his impure intentions while “Delirium” sings about calling for change after a more powerful force coming from the outside bringing fear & destruction emerges. “Damascus” by Yasiin Bey was actually a finalized outtake conceived during the Plastic Beach sessions combining dabke, experimental hip hop, electropop, electro hop & neo-psychedelia celebrating refugees as new arrivals while “The Shadowy Light” sings about obliviousness to the truth.

“Casablanca” winds down the last several minutes of The Mountain staring into an abyss & having the feeling that a tunnel to suburbia will be opening sooner rather than later while “The Sweet Prince” emotionally remembers Damon’s father Keith who passed away a couple years earlier. “The Sad God” featuring Black Thought finishes with both of them sharing the microphone 1 last time talking about each of them giving their lives in paradise only for there to be nothing left.

Being a fan of Gorillaz ever since I was in elementary school, पर्वत surpasses Song Machine for their best offering in the 2020s & couldn’t have been a better way to begin this new era of independence for them. The production leans towards a prominent neo-psychedelic art pop & electropop direction with lesser influences of synthpop, Hindustani classical music, hip hop, psychedelic pop, new wave, zolo, pop reggae, dub, trip hop, folkhop, Indian pop, pop rap, Latin rap, dabke & electro hop honoring those in the band’s lives who can’t be with us down to the slew of posthumous guest appearances.

Score: 4.5/5

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Rob Zombie – “The Great Satan” review

Rob Zombie is a 61 year old singer/songwriter, producer, filmmaker & actor from Haverhill, Massachusetts originally known for being the frontman of White Zombie. The band’s most iconic single “More Human Than Human” would become amongst the greatest industrial/groove metal tracks of all-time, disbanding in the summer of 1998 following Rob’s iconic solo debut Hellbilly Deluxe: 13 Tales of Cadaverous Cavorting Inside the Spookshow International under Geffen Records. I should also mention that House of 1,000 Corpses & The Devil’s Rejects are both classic horror films despite 3 from Hell disappointing me. The Sinister Urge & Educated Horseswere both ok, but I did enjoy the Roadrunner Records-backed Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls & the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool as a sequel to his debut. Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor would come out through Rob’s own label Zodiac Swan Records & it was cool, although The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser & his Nuclear Blast Records debut The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy both produced by his engineer Zeuss were both much more enjoyable. So when I heard they were going for a 3-peat with Rob’s 8th album, of course I was excited for it.

“F.T.W. ‘84 (Fuck the World ‘84)” begins with this heavy intro singing about taking it back 4 decades earlier because of the times we’re living in presently whereas “Tarantula” proclaims to be a God amongst the Theraphosidae family of spiders. The 3rd & final single “(I’m a) Rock “N” Roller” blends industrial & groove metal for a homage to the late David Bowie single “Moonage Daydream” leading into “Heathen Days” throwing some thrash metal undertones in the mix singing about the days when chaos & war were constantly at our backs.

After the “Who Am I?” interlude, “Black Rat Coffin” continues the industrial metal vibes comparing the human race to a bunch of mice fading away inside of a casket just before Rob portrays a pirate by the name of “Sir Lord Acid Wolfman”. We get a fusion of industrial & trash metal on the lead single “Punks & Demons” ending the 1st leg encouraging those 2 kinds of people to keep bleeding on while “The Devilman” puts us inside the shoes of an entity who was meant to desecrate the shadows of the holy land.

“Out of Sight” pushes the 2nd half forward singing about wanting to be left alone as well as time eternally running out for everyone & all of us going down but after “Revolution Motherfucker” shows a more rebellious side to Rob getting wasted off the booze as much as he wants, “Welcome to the Electric Age” issues a stark warning regarding all the changes to our government & society at large within the past 13 months going on 14.

To wrap up The Great Satan’s final act, “The Black Scorpion” combines elements of thrash & industrial for a brief 93 seconds experiencing another nervous breakdown & praying for death until the final song explains his perspective of society being “Unclean Animals” in the grand scheme of things continuing the parallels between people & rats that we heard earlier. “Grave Discontent” however spends the last minute hooking up a synthesizer & some live drums.

Although I seem to be in the minority of people who enjoy The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser & The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy a lot more than most people do, The Great Satan surpasses both of them in becoming the greatest full-length Rob Zombie has done with Zeuss to date. The overall sound is much like White Zombie’s revered coda Astro-Creep: 2000: Songs of Love, Destruction & Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head in that it’s predominantly based around the industrial & groove subgenres of metal music, taking it back to Rob’s roots over 4 decades later.

Score: 4.5/5

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Bruno Mars – “The Romantic” review

Bruno Mars is a 40 year old singer/songwriter, producer & dancer from Honolulu, Hawaii breaking out in the late 2000s as 1/3 of The Smeezingtons. He would eventually make his solo debut in the fall of 2010 with Doo-Wops & Hooligans under Elektra Records & Atlantic Records, moving over to solely the latter for the sophomore effort Unorthodox Jukebox. Both of which contain some of his biggest hits like “Just the Way You Are” & “Locked Out of Heaven”, but didn’t floor me as much as 24K Magic for it’s nostalgic revival of the classic 1990s R&B sound including new jack swing. A decade later, the other half of Silk Sonic’s making a comeback with his 4th album.

“Risk It All” begins with this Latin soul-tinged intro singing about him being willing to do anything for the woman of his life whereas “Cha Cha Cha” turns up the Latin influences with an interpolation of “Slow Motion” by Juvenile featuring the late Soulja Slim during the hook. “I Just Might” blends pop soul, dance-pop, disco, boogie & funk singing about the possibility of making this woman his just before he brags about how “God Was Showing Off” when he was making the female who has his eyes.

Moving on from there, “Why You Wanna Fight?” asks his partner for the reason she’s trying to start shit when they could be making love leading into “On My Soul” promising her that he’ll cherish her in ways her exes haven’t. “Something Serious” goes for a funkier vibe singing about always having the back of this chick who should be his boo-thang & after “Nothing Left” describes his feelings towards a female who doesn’t love him the same way he does her, the final song “Dance with Me” made for a suiting closer yearning to hit the dance floor with his partner 1 last time until parting ways.

Compared to the other LPs we’ve gotten from Bruno Mars for the past 16 years, The Romantic is a worthy follow-up to 24K Magic & lands right behind Unorthodox Jukebox at #3 when it comes to ranking his discography although it’s average as a whole. The production is more predominantly pop soul oriented than the last time we heard him in the mid-2010s bringing some Latin soul, smooth soul, funk, Chicago soul & Philly soul undertones for a half hour dedicated to love & dancing.

Score: 3/5

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Lala Lala – “Heaven 2” review

Lala Lala is a garage/indie/slacker rock band from Chicago, Illinois consisting of drummer Abby Black, bassist/co-frontwoman Emily Kempf & guitarist/co-frontwoman Lillie West. Their full-length debutSleepyhead a decade ago was positively received & the sophomore effort The Lamb as well as I Want the Door to Open were welcomed to more moderate feedback in comparison. I was however intrigued to hear them making their debut for Sub Pop Records with their 4th album & hoped it would shake up the lukewarm reception of their last couple LPs.

We get some drums & pianos colliding on the intro “Car Anymore” pleading to escape the country right off rip presumably because of the political climate within the last 13 months whereas the 2nd single “Even Mountains Erode” leans towards an alt-pop vibe singing about the symbols & signs we’re missing in our lives. The 4th & final single “Arrow” samples “Pasadena” by La Femme to explain that none of this was supposed to happen from her understanding just before “Tricks” combines a guitar & strings singing about big money wasting big time.

“Scammer” reaches the halfway point experimenting with some electronic influences down the instrumental breakdown during the last minute or so pleading not to give up until the very last drop but once the title track sings about being forever broken & being fed up with staying patient after waiting years for Lillie’s lover to swing by her place, “Anywave” decides against asking questions regarding death since she’s so scared of the end to the point where she can’t feel the present.

The lead single “Does This Go Any Faster?” rounds out 3rd blending indie pop, alt-pop, noise pop & dream pop singing about nothing on this planet being free in addition to Lillie being meant to dissolve & start again anew after losing it all while “This City” asks if anyone would move with jealousy if she cut her hair & wishing she was at a party so someone can catch her eye. “Wyoming Dirt” sends off the LP on a more minimal note singing about accepting the conclusion she has come to.

Lillie West & company conceived Heaven 2 after they left the Windy City to explore the world from Taos, New Mexico to London, England, United Kingdom & Reykjavik, Iceland until finally settling down in Los Angeles, California & the end result marks a debut on the main Sub Pop roster that elevates Lala Lala’s knack for always being on the move. Of course I have to mention the indie pop, alt-pop, noise pop & indietronica influences all over contrasting the bedroom pop sound I Want the Door to Open went for & Lillie coming to the shocking realization of steadiness having the capability of sparking a creative flame within her or both her bandmates.

Score: 3.5/5

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Iron & Wine – “Hen’s Teeth” review

Sam Beam a.k.a. Iron & Wine is a 51 year old singer/songwriter from Durham, North Carolina who made his debut in 2002 with The Creek Drank the Cradle under Sub Pop Records. He would also drop Our Endless Numbered Days & The Shepherd’s Dogthough the Seattle, Washington indie label until signing to Warner Records for Kiss Each Other Clean. Ghost on Ghost was more relaxed than anything Sam had done previously & he would form his own imprint Black Cricket Recordings afterwards, returning to Sub Pop via distributing Beast Epic as well as Light Verse & now his 7th album in front of us.

“Roses” starts us off with this Americana opener likening honesty to an 8 ball in the dark & beauty lasting just as long as lightning whereas “Paper & Stone” leans towards a singer/songwriter direction sings about a relationship that’s like a game of rock, paper, scissors. “Robin’s Egg” featuring I’m with Her finds the 2 over an acoustic guitar explaining they did it for love when that’s what it was just before “Singing Saw” describes days walking by like they don’t know you or where to go.

Reaching the halfway point, “In Your Ocean” goes for an indie folk vibe singing about how Sam doesn’t want to be saved & wishing that the woman in mind feels the same way he does for him leading into “Defiance, Ohio” gets an anthem of it’s own assuring the broken pieces of oneself will come alive ‘till they roll off the road. “Wait Up” featuring I’m with Her reunites the pair 1 last time singing about neither of them passing up a good experience & giving up when the apocalypse comes.

“Grace Notes” continues the latter half of Hen’s Teeth with more indie folk production cautioning that the ghosts we deny will haunt us for the remainder of our lives while “Dates & Dead People” throws it back to the Light Verse era for 6 minutes celebrating a love that he compares to an empty cloud. “Half Measures” to me felt like a great note to end the LP on, not wanting to say goodbye & trying to keep what’s left behind even if most people would like to let it go with ease.

Maintaining the predominant chamber folk & singer/songwriter elements of Light Verse a couple years earlier, Sam Beam a.k.a. Iron & Wine noticeably puts a darker & more robust spin on those 2 styles of music to the point where Hen’s Teeth can be considered a fraternal twin of sorts to it’s predecessor. The secondary influences of Americana are still prevalent despite the indie folk undertones being ditched in favor of experimenting with folk rock & it’s almost as if Sam gave us a gift out of the impossible.

Score: 3.5/5

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