The World’s a Beautiful Place & I’m No Longer Afraid to Die – “Dreams of Being Dust” review

The World’s a Beautiful Place & I’m No Longer Afraid to Die are a midwest emo band from Willimantic, Connecticut consisting of bassist/keyboardist Josh Cyr, drummer/percussionist Steven Buttery, guitarist/trumpeter Chris Teti, keyboardist Katie Dvorak, guitarist Anthony Gesa & frontman David Bello. These guys’ full-length debut If Ever & their Epitaph Records debut more specifically Harmlessness would both win me over as a fan of theirs in high school although Always Foreign was merely ok. Illusory Walls thankfully marked a step in the right direction & hoped they’d continue to head down that trajectory for their 5th studio album.

“Dimmed Sun” makes for an alternative metal intro talking about how it’s merely them in the rudderless world we’re living in whereas the melodic post-hardcore single “Se sufre pero se goza” pulls further inspiration from alternative rock & metalcore feeling as if their prayers for their souls & land have all gone to waste. The melodic elements get ditched on “No Pilgrim” to take on a politically charged approach to the songwriting while the hardcore punk single “Beware the Centrist” sings about biting their tongues until they can feel their teeth.

We get a response to the ongoing famine at the Gaza Strip on “Oubliette” from asking what kind of king uses widespread hunger in the poorest of children as a lesson to the blue tarp used to cover up the corpses of the casualties while “Captagon” embraces the alternative metal vibes once more singing about being high off fenethylline. Alternative rock, alt-metal & metalcore all collide during “Dissolving” taking us into the woods late at night noticing the fuzziness of the boundary between our protagonist & the rest of the outside world while “Reject All & Submit” shows off more influences of melodic hardcore singing for a plot to be sold to help them relax.

“December 4, 2024” conceptually takes it’s inspiration from the morning Luigi Mangione killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last winter embracing the sounds of progressive metal while “Auguries of Guilt” fuses post-rock, alternative rock, post-hardcore, Emo & progressive rock talks about the villains being seen as the heroes. “For Those Who’ll Outlive Us” lastly concludes the LP by referring to themselves as bugs that can think of the most invasive game on Earth without trust.

Pulling no punches in addressing the crises that’ve developed as a result of the world as we know it becoming ravaged & devastated by late-stage capitalism alongside neo-liberalism & neo-fascism, Dreams of Being Dust provides the soundtrack to these harrowing times by having The World’s a Beautiful Place & I’m No Longer Afraid to Die focusing more around post-hardcore & progressive metal using alt-metal & metalcore as secondary influences for their most political work ever.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

2 Chainz – “Red Clay” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper 2 Chainz finally releasing his 7th studio LP. Coming up as 1/2 of the duo Playaz Circle, they eventually signed to Disturbing tha Peace Records & Def Jam Recordings in the 2000s releasing only 2 albums. He eventually ventured off into a solo career, with the biggest standouts being Pretty Girls 👍 TRΛP MUSIC & Rap or Go to the League. He recently teamed up with Larry June for the collaborative effort Life is Beautiful produced by The Alchemist & has dropped a soundtrack to his new short film.

“Mutual Bonds” was a great drumles intro produced by STREETRUNNER talking about only fucking with people who fuck with him whereas “Not the Same” samples “Silly Love Song” by the late Enchantment explaining that some things have changed with him in his life. “Thought You Loved Me” fuses chipmunk soul & trap suggesting one would laugh if he was struggling at the moment just before “Sista Wives” featuring Lil Yachty talks about people not respecting them over a Buddah Bless instrumental, which in Yachty’s case is bad timing because of his recent PlaqueBoyMax stream.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again provides the weakest guest appearance on “I Wanna Win” despite the 30 Roc beat & the desire they express of wanting to catch Ws leading into the drumless chipmunk soul crossover “Flow Switcha” talking about his success invoking people. “Free” featuring Vory finds the pair calling for all their incarcerated homies to be let out & once “Deadbeat Moms” talks about those specific kind of mothers being at an all-time high, “The ATL Experience” ends with a tribute to his city sampling The Isley Brothers.

Some of the teasers that we got building up towards Red Clay had me hoping that it was gonna be an improvement from 2 Chainz’ final Def Jam offering Dope Don’t Sell Itself, but his inaugural solo release under The Real U Records’ new distribution deal with none other than EMPIRE honestly reached the same level of mediocrity. It actually starts off stronger than I would’ve thought & I’d like it a lot more if he condensed it down to the first half since those’re the most salvageable tracks of the bunch, the 2nd leg of it is really where the album starts to fall apart.

Score: 2.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Teyana Taylor – “Escape Room” review

Teyana Taylor is a 34 year old actress, singer/songwriter, rapper, dancer, model, music video director & choreographer from New York City who briefly signed to Star Trak Entertainment in the mid-2000s until going over to G.O.O.D. Music & Def Jam Recordings at the start of the previous decade. Her full-length debut VII during my senior year of high school & K.T.S.E. (Keep That Same Energy) produced by Ye formerly known as Kanye West stands as the most underrated offering of the Wyoming sessions. Fulfilling her G.O.O.D. Music contract with The Album during the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s returning to Def Jam for her 5th LP.

After the Taraj P. Henson intro, the first song “Fire Girl” opens with a delicately drumless instrumental singing about the impossibility of her soul being burned whereas “Long Time” after the Sarah Paulson interlude fuses afrobeats & R&B addressing her ex-husband Iman Shumpert. “Hard Part” featuring Lucky Daye follows 2 back-to-back interludes with a duet asking if their partners want a relationship or not leading into “Back to Life” singing about her dissolving marriage.

“All of Your Heart” after the Jodie Turner Smith interlude expresses her desire to be loved & trusted while “Shut Up” ends the 1st leg of Escape Room pleading for her limits to be pushed & likening sex to a weapon. “Pum Pum Jump” featuring Tyla links up for a duet singing about getting too crazy with their lovers whenever they get lit while what could possibly be my personal favorite track here “Open Invite” produced by KAYTRANADA gives her partner a chance to come inside & get this right.

After the Issa Rae interlude, “In Your Head” sings for her new man to drown in her love waiting for him in his bed while “Final Destination” explains that it’ll always be love no matter where they take it. After another Issa Rae interlude, “Bed of Roses” embraces a contemporary R&B direction singing about wanting to be close to someone & “In Your Skin” after the Kerry Washington interlude lusts to be pressed up against her lover all the time. “Always” after the Regina King interlude finishes up with a heartwarming tribute to her children.

Exploring themes of heartbreak as well as healing & finding freedom, Escape Room makes for a solid comeback to music for Teyana Taylor excluding her feature on Will Smith’s 5th album Based on a True Story earlier this spring. The narration interludes can be a little excessive at times personally, but the production is a step up from The Album & it’s gratifying to hear her breaking free from the mental prison she was in.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Mariah the Scientist – “Hearts Sold Separately” review

Mariah the Scientist is a 27 year old singer/songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia whom Tory Lanez signed to 1 Umbrella Records & RCA Records following her debut EP To Die For. Once her full-length debut Master & the sophomore effort Ry Ry World came out, she would go on to start her own imprint Buckles Laboratories distributed by Epic Records & it’s inaugural release To Be Eaten Alive made her one of the most popular R&B artists today. She even had one of my favorite songs on KAYTRANADA’s 3rd album Timeless & that was a factor in me checking out her 4th album.

“Sacrifice” produced by 1985 makes for a nostalgically lush intro basically reflecting on her being separated from her current boyfriend Young Thug for a period of 300 days because of the latter’s R.I.C.O. case leading into Rogét Chahayed cooking up the calculated 2-parter “United Nations + 1,000 Ways to Die” sings about Thug getting her high off their love.

Meanwhile on “Eternal Flame”, we have Mariah over a funkier yet atmospheric instrumental feeling confident that nothing will tear her or the YSL Records founder apart even if it almost did when the latter was incarcerated just before “Is It a Crime?” featuring Kali Uchis finds the pair asking what the problem is with them falling in love a couple times.

“Burning Blue” blends alternative & contemporary R&B with alt-pop to use the hottest form of fire as a striking metaphor for the deep connection that she shares with Thug must before “All I Want + In Pursuit” begins the 2nd half of Hearts Sold Separately with another track split into 2 halves singing about her desire to have her mans by her side.

Themes of self-reliance bleed heavy during the course of “More” stylistically throwing it back to the ‘80s & ‘90s while “Rainy Days” throws it back to the Master era singing about her being naive as opposed to ignorance as well as asking if it’s possible for one to to make mistakes & lose their way.

“Like You Never” embraces a trap soul vibe to ask if Young Thug would love her like he’s never loved anyone in the past & trusting her as if he doesn’t have inhibitions prior to the bittersweet l “No More Entertainers” finishing the most important entry in Mariah’s discography airing out an ex of hers over an addictive London on da Track beat singing that he was more of an entertainer than a lover.

Honoring the legacies of R&B greats like Sade or Babyface to name a couple, Hearts Sold Separately feels completely different from anything Mariah the Scientist has done previously with a contemporary R&B full-length that ventures out to the depths of synthpop, sophisti-pop, neo-soul & alternative R&B vitally addressing modern society’s war on love. Refusing to be led by heartless womanizers, she pictures herself & most women as toy soldiers who will lay their lives on the line for the sake of love only to realize that men view them as nothing more than disposable playthings used strictly for entertainment.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Dominic Fike – “Rocket” review

Dominic Fike is a 29 year old musician, singer/songwriter & rapper from Naples, Florida who Columbia Records signed in 2018 off his debut EP Don’t Forget About Me & later What Could Possibly Go Wrong? during the COVID-19 pandemic. He would later join the cast of the Warner Bros.-owned HBO series Euphoria during it’s previous season & the sophomore effort Sunburn was more well received than it’s predecessor. 14 Minutes last spring preluded his debut mixtape here to mixed feedback & he’s finally dropping it after the recent formation of Geezer this summer.

To get the tape going, “All Hands on Deck” comes out the gate by displaying his range singing & rapping about wanting to inhabit the safe zone of an individual he deeply cares for whereas “Aftermath” goes into an indie rock direction finding him trying to get over an ex of his. The cheerful atmosphere of “Smile” suits it’s lyrics about how it’s not what you’re missing or could’ve done better prior to the funky “Sandman” inviting this woman to be his drifter.

“Great Pretender” colorfully tells this influencer who always spoke so kindly that he sees right through their bullshit & that they do a really good job at making it seem as if their words are sincere while “$500 Fine” talks about having the feeling that he could’ve made the relationship work if he didn’t fuck up 3 times. “1 Glass” despite it’s underwritten structuring embraces the indie rock sound again advising to come get him if he’s lying while “Quite the Opposite” talking about the only thing he knows how to do is make songs that’re apologetic.

Reaching the 3rd & final act, “Upset & Aggressive” realizing that he’ll get rolled over every time he would come over to see this woman who would eventually cut him out while “David Lyons” references Gene Wilder’s character in the film See No Evil, Hear No Evil. The epilogue takes a more soothing route instrumentally singing about being left behind & astray while the self-produced “Still Feel It” ends by explaining that there’s no backstory or words used in vein.

Reflecting on recent life events whilst showing personal growth & maturity, Dominic Fike continues to seek beauty in harrowing-but-tender emotional bloodletting with the most deeply personal collection of ideas. The production here primarily focuses on bedroom pop aside from occasional detours into pop rock, indie rock, alt-pop & pop rap to provide a new perspective in light of him becoming a father.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Concrete Rekordz – “5$tarCrete” review

Concrete Rekordz is an Atlanta, Georgia record label founded by Lil Yachty as a subsidiary of Quality Control Music & Motown Records. He has since signed Camo!, Dc2Trill, Draft Day & formerly KARRAHBOOO. They released a debut showcase compilation It’s Us receiving mixed-to-negative feedback & is having PlaqueBoyMax host a debut EP ahead of It’s Us 2 over exactly 4 months since Boat was at WrestleMania XLI sporting a shirt of the inaugural AEW tbs Champion & former 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill.

“Go” starts with a trap instrumental lenient towards sampling talking shout them not breaking any sweats whenever they issue any threats whereas “Big Spender” featuring PlaqueBoyMax references TKO Group Holdings co-founder Vince McMahon fresh off his recent interview regarding the death of the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, Real American Beer founder, Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder & known racist Hulk Hogan.

Former 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion Ludwig Kaiser may or may not have been referred to on “It’s Us” nearly a week after him, the current WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio & former AAA Mundial Parejas Campeon Dragon Lee failing to end former The Crash Pesocompleto Campeon El Hijo del Vikingo’s ongoing 2nd reign as AAA Mega Campeon at Triplemanía XXXIII while “Life’s Proper” by Lil Yachty proves to be my favorite song of the 4 talking about the way life is trading him.

It’s Us wasn’t really all that interesting to me personally because it felt like KARRAHBOOO was the only signee that was actually entertaining besides Lil Yachty himself & 5$tarCrete feels like a step further down from it. Far less interesting production & the true star of it is Yachty, even if I felt that a bar he had regarding the late Screwed Up Click member Big Floyd during a livestream earlier this month was done in horrifically stomach churning taste.

Score: 2/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Deftones – “Private Music” review

Deftones are a groundbreaking alternative metal band from Sacramento, California consisting of DJ/keyboardist Frank Delgado, bassist Fred Sablan, drummer Abe Cunningham, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter & frontman Chino Moreno. Adrenaline, Around the Fur, my personal favorite White Pony, Saturday Night Wrist, Diamond Eyes & Koi No Yokanwould all become classics for their own individual reasons & are returning 5 years after Ohms made up for Gore’s averageness to put out their 10th full-length album.

The lead single “My Mind’s a Mountain” sets the tone by combining alternative metal, shoegaze, post-hardcore, post-metal & doomgaze singing about the cycles of depression & non-depression whereas “Locked Club” suggests to either join the parade or be left out entirely. “Ecdysis” throws it back to the band’s nu metal origins singing about a new phase arriving just before the alt-metal/shoegaze crossover “Infinite Source” realizing a love they were chasing has been found.

“Souvenir” pushes forward with a 6-minute skull smasher singing about hurdling through space & discovering each other’s ways embracing the night leading into “cXz” finds their thoughts reappearing as lost time. “I Think About You All the Time” reminisces over a friend of the band’s who passed away some time ago leading into the 2nd & final single “Milk of the Madonna” blending alt-metal, post-hardcore & shoegaze to sing about being lost in religious ecstasy.

What could possibly be the heaviest track here “Cut Hands” assuring that they can’t be pulled out of their graces in the midst of these adversaries hitting a crossroads because of their lives failing in front of the band while “~Metal Dreams” sings about envisioning the gold drenched days laid ahead & sinking in perfect pose forever sooner rather than later. “Departing the Body” sends it all off with the realization that a brand new phase of their movement has started to change.

Private Music not only continues the ethos of Koi No Yokan & Ohms, but it’s another testament to Deftones rightfully becoming the Radiohead of alternative metal whilst striking a middle ground between the rest of their discography. Contemplating the attractiveness & dangers of nature as well as the challenges of tending a positive mindset & images of a trip beyond the physical realm, they revisit all 4 styles of it’s predecessors explored during the COVID-19 pandemic with more interesting ideas & intricate pacing.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

quannnic – “Warbrained” review

quannnic is a 19 year old singer/songwriter, producer & former rapper from Florida widely introducing themself in 2022 off their acclaimed full-length studio debut Kenopsia ditching the digicore sound they originally came up on because it felt like their attempt at that whole subgenre of trap music was creatively unnatural & an untitled EP experimenting with ambient trip hop merely months a part from each other. They would go on to sign with deadAir Records for the sophomore effort Stepdream matching the praise of it’s predecessor & has unveiled his 3rd album ahead of the supporting tour kicking off a couple weeks from now.

“Prunesnail” begins with a noisy grunge intro singing about the difficulty of trying to maintain a relationship with someone in their life who isn’t as close as they once were prior to the lead single “Wrenches” fusing noise rock, indie rock, grunge, emo & slacker rock to take on themes of self-deprecation.

The 3rd & final single “Aviator” seamlessly blends noise rock, post-punk, dream pop, gothic rock, post-punk revival & slacker rock feeling like there’s so many things they wish they didn’t care to do while the shoegazey “Scolder” sings about missing the times when their ex rebuked them.

“Torch” takes the halfway point to address an individual who they personally feel as if has lost their spark yet becoming surprised by the realization that they’re just like them leading into the shoegazing “Paperweight” singing about how they worked a miracle & finding nothing special regarding yet another victim of their own.

We have quannnic on the wombadelic “Heavensafe” venting that they’ve been contained in this ongoing war for the pearly gates while “Observer” combines noise rock, alternative metal, grunge, shoegaze, nu metal & post-rock to sing about sheeple stepping in to preach nothing but sounds as well as all of us winning only to lose something.

“Floorface” gets the clock started on Warbrained’s last 9 minutes by throwing it back to the days of ‘90s alternative rock with a small hint of grunge becoming delirious by the quiet depths becoming increasingly deadening & the piano-heavy “Wardeath” finishes the LP singing about considering themselves as more of a topic than a hero, yearning to hand out all of their importance.

deadAir Records has been on prolific run in 2025 constantly dropping digicore landmarks like the new Jane Remover album Revengeseekerz, & the new Lucy Bedroque mixtape Unmusique, but Warbrained carried the momentum with the darkest thing quannnic has ever made. Their production here focuses less around noise pop than Stepdream did couple years previously shifting it’s attention towards alt-rock, shoegaze, grunge, noise rock, Emo, alternative metal & slacker rock to compliment the depressive songwriting.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Wildchild – “Child of a Kingsman” review

Oxnard, California veteran Wildchild hitting us with his 5th album. A member of the Lootpack alongside DJ Romes & one of my top 10 producers of all-time Madlib, his first couple solo efforts Secondary Protocol & Jack of All Trades under Stones Throw Records & Fat Beats Records respectively, although T.G.I.F. (Thank God It’s Funky) & Omowale would be received more moderately in comparison. Regardless, I still went into Child of a Kingsman hoping for it to be his best since Jack of All Trades.

“A Kingsman’s Flowers” begins by take everyone on a trip down memory lane in order to explain the definition of a kingsman whereas “Season of Kingsmen” produced by Nottz talks about preserving hip hop since he like many holds it dearly to his heart. “Change for My 2¢” heads for a jazzier direction instrumentally to make some powerful social commentary just before the synth-heavy “Wing Chun” talks about remaining undefeated.

Things take a funkier turn on “Multiverse” feeling as if the boom bap in him has been restored whenever his feet touch the floor leading into “Bat Signal” talking about how he don’t play. The beat Nottz whips up on “Mr. Pinocchio & Positive People” feels reminiscent of the late J Dilla touching base regarding crooked cops while “Freedom Riding” talks about the late John Lewis.

“Black Man Blues” turns the jazz influences back up so he can break down the hardships of being an African American feeling as if his glory is trying to be silenced & after the “Where the Poem Lady?” interlude, MAYAH takes over a good portion of the vocals during “Kingsmen” for a neo-soul jam continuing the themes of preserving the culture’s 4 elements & the overlooked element of knowledge.

The song “My Utopia” brings a drumless guitar beat into the picture describing what a perfect world would look like to him & after the “Brown Identity” interlude, “Welcome Home” ahead of the Antwone Fisher outro officially completes Child of a Kingsman by recapping a trip that Wildchild took to Soweto, South Africa with the MC/producer superduo Liberation.

Conceived during his time away from making music to focus on being a father, Child of a Kingsman stands out as potentially the finest example of Wildchild’s ability to make room in his songs for other artists to shine. Blending jazz & neo-soul together, he makes it a commitment to unify cultures through music & paying homage to all of hip hop’s veterans with intricately powerful songwriting.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Hand Habits – “Blue Reminder” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Amsterdam, New York singer/songwriter Hand Habits. Following their first 5 EPs & of course the last 3 albums, they would go on to sign with Fat Possum Records for their last EP Sugar the Bruise to moderate reception although I personally thought it was Meg’s strongest one yet. They’ve put out a small handful of singles already to generate buzz for Blue Reminder, which is Fat Possum’s first offering in over 3 months & their first full-length under the label.

“More Today” sets the tone with a crossover between indie rock & singer/songwriter feeling like their romantic interest’s words are tearing her apart in a good way whereas the lead single “Wheel of Change” maintains both elements of the previous track & combines them with alt-country & folk rock to sing about needing their lover now more than ever.

As for “Nubble”, we have Meg fusing alt-country & dream pop together confessing that they feel like life has been treating her well outside of a few regrets they has just before “Dead Rat” recaps a true story of a mouse’s corpse rotting away from within the walls of their own home & advising people to let nature take it’s course.

“Jasmine Blossoms” was a great b-side to the latter single depicting the contradictions between the neighborhood of Mount Washington out in Los Angeles, California as well as the horrifying things one may come across on social media & the TV news stations leading into “Way It Goes” singing about the ups & downs of a relationship.

After the jazzy piano heavy “(Forgiveness)” instrumental composition, “Beauty 62” shows a bit of a Bob Dylan influence singing about finding beauty within all the chaos while the 4th & final single “Bluebird of Happiness” draws inspiration from the extensive amount of time Meg had spent on the road.

The title track easily sticks out as the most emotional & confessional moment on Blue Reminder wanting to prove that the love they have for their partner is true by doing literally anything over more keys while “Quiet Summer” sings about wanting to lie down during a warm evening around this specific time of the year. “Living Proof” wraps it all up with a subdued tone admitting they never knew what love could do.

Walking an emotional tightrope between hope & quiet anxiety, Hand Habits’ 2nd offering under the Fat Possum banner departs from the insularity that their previous material had become known for & it takes over Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void)’s spot for Meg’s greatest LP of the 4. Their indie rock & singer/songwriter production has evolved greatly almost a decade in pulling from indie folk, slowcore, folk rock, americana, alt-country & dream pop to thematically attach itself to the idea of committing in many ways.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!