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 CleanGhost 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 its 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

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

GENA – “The Pleasure is Yours” review

GENA a.k.a. God Energy, Naturally Amazing is an alternative R&B/neo-soul duo consisting of Dallas, Texas singer/songwriter Liv.e alongside Detroit, Michigan producer & multi-instrumentalist Karriem Riggins. Getting to know each other through a mutual collaborator, their kinetic synergies have resulted in them teaming up loosely naming themselves after Tisha Campbell’s character on the Warner Bros.-owned sitcom Martin & sparking excitement for a full-length studio debut amongst everyone who’s familiar with either artists’ work.

“Who’s Got a Problem with GENA?” comes out the gate by singing an irresistibly funky instrumental asking if anyone has smoke with her or Karriem whereas “Theybetterbegladihavetherapy” goes for a bit of a jazzier direction pleading for her boundaries to be respected. “Left the Club Like “Really N***a!?”” lyrically tears a deceitful man up into complete shreds just before “You’ve Outdone Yourself Today, Huh?” sings about keeping your head up over a vocal sample.

As for “Unspokerrn”, we have Liv.e taking some heavy inspiration from none other than the Queen of Neo-Soul herself Erykah Badu trying to figure out how she & her partner got to the point they’re at in their relationship currently leading into “TGD” singing about everyone knowing the way shit goes around her hood & the women’s preference of doing it. “readymade” slickly makes it clear to her lover that she doesn’t want to regret standing beside him while “Douwannabwitastar!?” ends the 1st leg of The Promise is Yours jazzily asking if anyone wants to be with someone famous.

“This is So Crazy” gets the 2nd half going for a more futuristic direction in general & has it’s moments that somewhat remind me of the late Prince while the 3rd & final single “Lead It Up” hopping over a smooth beat singing about making a man out of this person if it were up to her. The jazz influences are brought back in full effect on the 2nd single describing “HOWWEFLOW”, but then “DoobieDooWew” a lot like “Unspokerrn” is another example of Liv.e & Karriem embodying the spirit of Erykah Badu materially both vocally & instrumentally.

Wrapping up the LP’s final moments, the lead single “Circlesz” was a great alternative R&B/neo-soul lead single to kick off The Pleasure is Yours’ rollout assuring her romantic interest that she’ll follow him around & take her time with him while the summery “Dream a Twinkle” yearns to make it far with the person she’s been dating. “Thatsmyluvr” sings about her partner being heaven sent blending some crooning background vocals with jazz horns prior to “omo iya ati baba” closing the album thanking God for giving us life & calling for parents to protect their children.

Liv.e has had done some dope features for Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE within the past several years, so the idea of her linking up with one of the 313’s most renowned percussionists in Karriem Riggins based off all 3 teasers resulted in colliding each of their jazz-inspired styles for a playfully improvisational alternative R&B & neo-soul LP with some elements of psychedelic soul & hypnagogic pop incorporated to a lesser extent that I would say rivals Jill Scott’s independent comeback To Whom This May Concern only a couple weeks earlier in ranking amongst the greatest R&B of 2026 not even a quarter way through the year.

Score: 4.5/5

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

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 debut Sleepyhead 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trapmat Savior – “Scottie Trippin’” review

Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee Trapmat Savior is back for his sophomore effort. Emerging a few years ago off his solo debut EP To Riches & Peace along with DozaTrap’s eponymous debut EP, he would later follow it up in September by releasing a few more EPs Kirby along with I Could Tell only a week apart & Still Grinding. Nicholas Craven & Mike Shabb both produced his widely received debut 1st Coming near the end of 2024, running it back with solely Craven for Scottie Trippin’ roughly a whole year & a half later.

“Last Night’s Soda” hops over a drumless loop to get things going talking about his soldier status & being built for this shit whereas “Grin” takes the boom bap route instrumentally working in some synthesizers to flex that his pockets are thicker than his girl. The lead single “Pillz” hooks up a guitar sample mixed with kicks & snares talking about grinding 24/7 leading into “Close Enough” embracing a chipmunk soul vibe so he can discuss this title run he’s been on.

We get more synths on “Bittersweet Taste” speaking of taking no Ls because he’s learned from all of his mistakes & after the “Cherry Garcia” interlude, the 2nd & final single “B!tch” featuring Mike Shabb finds the 2 teaming up over a slick beat to talk about women. Forest N/A joins Trapmat on top of some strings referencing the original “Space Jam” & boasting of the way they be stretching the bar just before “Brunch” incorporates a vibraphone admitting he doesn’t take it personal when they take a lot after him.

“Dust” rounds out 3rd with a victorious instrumental talking about going double or nothing while “Scouts” featuring Forest N/A & willjxmes brings the trio together to explain that shit gets hotter than the south in addition to it seeming like they signed for a small amount when that couldn’t be any further from the truth. “Otis” sends off the album pouring his heart out about the blood, sweat & tears he’s been put into pushing his music over some exuberant piano chords.

Still Grinding 2 was ok compared to 1st Coming & the same can be said regarding that Knockout Mafia collaborative EP with Monsi, but I was fairly confident about Scottie Trippin’ was going to be a huge improvement over both of those extended plays & that unsurprisingly happens to be the case. We get a few guest appearances unlike 1st Coming with Shabbo’s being my personal favorite of the 3 accompanying Trapmat Savior over Nicholas Craven’s sample-lenient production style for another excellent LP.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Baby Keem – “Ca$ino” review

This is the sophomore effort from Carson, California rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Baby Keem. The younger cousin of Kendrick Lamar, he went on to drop 4 EPs & a couple of mixtapes with Die for My Bitch being the one that helped boost his popularity to the point where he rightfully earned a spot on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class. His full-length debut The Melodic Blue under pgLang & Columbia Records continued to excel his artistic potential, returning after 5 years for a trip to the Ca$ino.

“No Security” produced with Danja & FNZ begins with a drumless sample talking about preferring to have his gang beside him than a bodyguard whereas the title track comes through with a 2-parter that Cardo cooked up speaking of being somewhat deranged at this point in his career. “Birds & the Bees” flips “Honey Honey” by Feist showing a more romantic side to Keem leading into “Good Flirts” by The Hillbillies poking fun at Young Thug’s leaked phone calls with Mariah the Scientist.

Things go for a chipmunk soul vibe on “House Money” sampling “You Know the Feeling” by Steven Wightman to talk about fearing no one when he steps in the party just before “I’m Not a Lyricist” channels his inner André 3000 over a piano instrumental. “$ex Appeal” featuring Too $hort of course finds the 2 taking it to the Bay stylistically for a more raunchier approach topically until “I Do Love You” by Billy Stewart gets chopped up for the “Highway 95” sequel.

“Circus Circus” splits itself in 3 halves addressing his family dynamics whilst blending some braggadocio while “Dramatic Girl” feels more like a Che Ecru & Sam Dew song since Keem only handles the hook, although he & Sounwave do a fine job of sampling “Kids” by MGMT for the upbeat R&B detour. “No Blame” samples “I Never Learnt to Share” by James Blake to finish our Ca$ino tour talking about his difficult upbringings & not blaming his mother for it.

I appreciate that Baby Keem got more personal with Ca$ino, but I wouldn’t put it above The Melodic Blue & firmly believe that he has the capability of making a project that’ll top both albums even if some people like to ignorantly dismiss him as a nepo baby. It’s more pop rap sounding than the predecessor although the alternative R&B & trap elements are maintained, adding some more ratchet & chipmunk soul undertones than previously & getting more conscious than hardcore.

Score: 3.5/5

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

Curren$y & Larry June – “Spiral Staircases” review

This is a new collaborative EP between New Orleans, Louisiana rapper, songwriter & record executive Curren$y as well as Vallejo, California rapper & songwriter Larry June. Both of whom began their careers 2 decades ago each, crossing paths on a number of tracks in recent years like “Sunday Morning Drive” or “Vintage Haze” to name a couple. They’re also known for their own individual projects produced by one of my top 10 producers of all-time The Alchemist, who’s bringing them together to walk up a set of Spiral Staircases.

“Stars on the Roof” opens up with a rap rock instrumental talking about how real shit gets & the streets making them move at a different speed whereas the only single “Everything Allocated” goes for a boom bap direction referencing WWE Hall of Famer Koko B. Ware. “Drive Alone” brings a drumlessly jazzy vibe to the table talking about feeing high & low leading into the title track discusses their player statuses.

The song “Palo Santo” smoothly starts the final leg of Spiral Staircases looking back at going from chasing their freedoms to taking the money & fame while “2.P.I.G.” brings the boom bap vibes back 1 last time suggesting to focus on winning since no one will save you. “Empty Pages” featuring The Alchemist however sends off the EP with all 3 of them spitting hardcore verses without the need of a hook over a soul sample playing the game hard to the max.

Sucks we won’t ever get a sequel to Fetti because of Freddie Gibbs having beef with Curren$y for some reason but as much as I enjoyed Life’s Beautiful with 2 Chainz a little over 12 months ago, I’d have to prefer Spiral Staircases between the 2 collaborative efforts. Alchemist’s drumless jazz rap production compliments Spitta & Larry June’s calm flows whilst both of them hit us with a chemistry that makes the most absolute sense.

Score: 4.5/5

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

Skaiwater – “wonderful” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Nottingham, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom rapper & producer Skaiwater. Beginning in 2019 off their debut EP After God Fear Eve, the 4ersona member would go on to put out 7 more EPs along with a mixtape& a couple albums, the most notable being their 2024 sophomore effort #Gigi under GoodTalk Records & Capitol Records fully realizing on the potential that was shown on their earlier material. Coming off the Pinkprint trilogy however, they’re ready to make a wonderful return.

Ti Steele appears for the R&B-tinged duet “as above so below” co-produced by Nico Baran of Internet Momey Records kicking things off with both of them singing about the possibility of losing their heads whereas “Star” combines rage & digicore flexing that they made their bitch go punk. The self-produced “iPhone 5” carries over the hypertrap influences talking about leaving their old life in London while “1 battle after another” tries to convince their partner to turn against the streets & their friends.

“Nitty” works in more rage beats to talk about being a real black British punk rollin’ off ecstasy just before “Skins” brings back some of the digicore elements thanks to Ginseng talking about them not needing anyone. “Zoot” is essentially a remix of “6AM” featuring diamond* & one that I lean towards more than the original version while “bodies bodies bodies” melodically asks this woman if she could settle for their soul & admitting to being a bit insecure.

Reaching the halfway point of wonderful, the rage-inducing “Tool” talks about Young Skai loving their bitch more than their firearm & showing her what real hustlers do leading into “Playa” trying to open up their romantic interest’s mind as well as getting geeked after popping’ a couple mollys. “Let the House Burn” fuses hypertrap & industrial hip hop talking about plotting against a hoe who wasn’t even theirs while “blink twice” produced by North West feels more like an interlude sampling “ぽっぴっぽー” by ラマーズP featuring 初音ミク.

“Virgo / My Room” comes through with a 2-parter asking the women they’re seeing if they can trust them & once “Dog” featuring Tezzus continues the subject of relationships over a chaotic BenjiCold instrumental differing from his signature pluggnb style, “A Threesome” leans heavier towards the digicore side of things following a person home to pose the question of possibly having sex with them.

The song “midsommar” featuring Ti Steele reunites the pair that gave us wonderful’s opening moments 1 last time portraying themselves as a couple who meditates over each other while “Marilyn” spends a couple minutes on top of a Clayco & OPM BABI beat talking about doing drugs for their hoe whilst maintaining control over themselves. “My Zombie” sends off the LP on a more colorfully catastrophic note telling anyone who’s willing to bleed for them that they’ll have to live with that for the rest of their life & telling their babe who wants to get paid that she will.

We were supposed to get Femme Fatale this past Christmas until it got scrapped, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if some of the material recorded during those sessions made their way onto wonderful & this new era marking Skaiwater’s independence from a major label begins with a full-length that captures Young Skai’s growth since Happy Hour & of course #Gigi. They only produce a few tracks themself rather than doing the whole thing like #mia or the Pinkprint trilogy, reaching out to some of the biggest names currently both behind the boards & on the mic in the process to make tiger lily’s great musical achievement.

Score: 4/5

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