Megadeth is a thrash metal band consisting of bassist James LoMenzo, drummer Dirk Verbeuren, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari & frontman Dave Mustaine. Making their debut over 4 decades ago off Killing’s My Business…& Business is Good!, the sophomore effort Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying? would become a thrash landmark as would Rust in Peace. They’ve had some albums I’ve liked since such as Countdown to Extinction & The System Has Failed, but have dropped some unbearable stinkers too like Risk & Super Collider to name a couple. However, they’re commemorating a decade of Dystopiaby making the band’s 17th album their last.
“Tipping Point” was actually a solid technical thrash metal single singing about making people fear the sound of voices that aren’t even there until “I Don’t Care” fails at crossing over heavy metal, punk rock, thrash metal & crossover thrash making his point clear that he gives no fucks. “Hey God?!” continues to go for a traditional heavy metal sound feeling insecure as he walks these streets alone just before “Let There Be Shred” embraces some speed metal vibes singing about being born with a guitar in his hands.
Reaching the halfway point, “Puppet Parade” pulls from standard heavy metal once again describing a mundane lifestyle while a favorite of mine “Another Bad Day” puts ourselves inside the shoes of those in our country who’re down on their luck. “Made to Kill” taps back into the band’s thrash origins singing about profits growing where children die while the heavy metal-tinged “Obey the Call” discusses marching down the path where all reason dies. “I’m War” spends almost 4 minutes personifying themselves as an actual war itself & “The Last Note” concludes with an open letter to the public.
In my personal opinion: A great deal of Megadeth’s output since Endgame has been hit or miss, despite always acknowledging their status amongst the big 4 thrash metal bands nor can I take away the impact they’ve had over the course of several decades giving us a couple masterpieces along the way. That said: I can appreciate Dave Mustaine coming to his senses & calling it day after making 1 more studio LP although I’m a bit on the fence with it. Much like Dystopia: The heavy & thrash metal instrumentation’s fine for what it is, although Dave’s vocals aren’t as commanding like they once were.
Here we have the 10th solo LP from Santa Rosa, California guitarist Julian Lage. Introducing himself in 2009 off his debut Sounding Point, he would go on to drop 8 more albums with the most notable being the sophomore effort Gladwell or Modern Lore & Squint. Making his debut under Blue Note Records a couple years ago off Speak to Me, he’s coming off Her Melodious Lay & Lamentations, he’s back on the greatest jazz label of all-time depicting Scenes from Above.
“Opal” recruits pianist John Medeski, double bassist Jorge Roeder & drummer Kenny Wollesen for a lead single that gives off a heavy summertime vibe whether it be the guitar or the Hammond B3 whereas the improvised “Red Elm” experiments with soul jazz starting with some bass licks preceding the guitar, drums & organ. “Talking Drum” appropriately takes inspiration from the avant-groove trio Medeski, Martin & Wood for a jazz-funk tinged 2nd single leading into “Havens” shining some light on Kenny & John for almost 5 minutes, feeling like the beginning of a Sunday service.
The 3rd & final single “Night Shade” gives us a rush of organ melodies & guitar solos during a great bulk of the longest composition here just before “Solid Air” takes a more atmospherically meditative approach than all the other tracks once again recapturing the mood of sitting in a church prior to the pastor starts an hour long sermon. “Ocala” primarily builds itself around John playing the Hammond B3 once more & some bluesy guitar riffs from Julian but after the loosely structured “Storyville” achieves his goal of having something to talk about once he gets together with his bandmates, “Something More” finished in the form of this 4-part prayer wishing brighter days ahead for us all.
Understandably opting against making a Speak to Me sequel, Julian Lage’s sophomore effort for Blue Note Records minimizes the prominent post-bop direction Scenes from Above’s predecessor took in favor of prioritizing it’s secondary influences of jazz fusion & chamber jazz with hints of soul jazz appearing occasionally. I can’t blame him for putting us inside the shoes of his experiences being a band member considering he already made his grandest statement regarding his capability of bandleading, creating a separate character of it’s own depicting themes of freedom & trust.
Ari Lennox is a 34 year old singer/songwriter from Washington, D.C. introducing herself off her debut mixtape 5 Finger Discount & the debut EP Ariography. The latter of which resulted in J. Cole signing her to his Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records, where she would put out 2 more extended plays Pho & Away Message as well as the debut album Shea Butter Baby. Fulfilling her Dreamville obligations with her sophomore effort age/sex/location, she’s dropping off her 3rd studio LP to begin this new era of her career.
“Mobbin’ in D.C.” begins with this neo-soul intro produced by Elite singing that she’d cut off everybody around her for this guy she’s been talking to whereas the title track combines hip hop soul & contemporary R&B thanks to Jermaine Dupri & BoogzDaBeast wanting her partner to fill this gap in her heart. “Pretzel” goes for a laidback vibe courtesy of both Cardiak & Wu10 singing for her man to flip & fold her in bed just before “Under the Moon” fuses pop soul, neo-soul, doo woo & the Motown sound magnificently sampling “I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos.
Moving on from there, “High Key” gives off some trap soul undertones yearning to be this guy’s freaky lullaby leading into the contemporary R&B/trap crossover “Twin Flame” asking the person Ari’s with if he loves her the way she does him. JD flips “You’re What I’m All About” by New Birth during “Soft Girl Era” wanting to embrace the youth subculture aesthetics popularized that Ariana Grande popularized until singing about how “Deep Strokes” through her soul gets her high.
“24 Seconds” gets the 2nd half going luxuriously letting her romantic interest know he has that much time left to come get her ass while “Cool Down” heads for a more atmospheric direction instrumentally singing about showing her appreciation for whenever the person she’s been romantically involved with touches her patiently. “Horoscope” packs a bunch of clever zodiac sign wordplay into this tropical 4 & a half minute trap soul cut while “Wake Up” gets back on her bullshit after discovering her man has been seeing another woman behind her back, lying that he was alone when he’s been texting the other hoe.
The song “Company” featuring Buju Banton nears Vacancy’s final moments teaming up experimenting with reggae & R&B expressing a desire for their respective lovers to comfort them while “Dreaming” sings about seeing an ex of hers whenever she has dreams in the evening, wishing she could see him again so they can hold hands sitting on top of a roof & hitting a jacuzzi later. “Hocus Pocus” with co-production from DJ Camper confesses it’s too soon for her to want this man to be hers as much as she does while the moody “Hookah Baby” starts the deluxe run singing about smoking shisha.
“Show Me” has Bongo slowing it down a bit wanting her man to prove that he isn’t afraid of loving her while “Slide” maintains the lustful subject matter over a rich Jay Versace instrumental. “Speak Your Mind” encourages her man to tell her the way he truly feels while “Leave Me Alone” sings about a guy who won’t stop pestering her. “Unicorn” flirtatiously expresses hopes of her partner surprising her in bed & the final bonus track “Hot Mess” sings about being a chaotic bitch regardless of someone enjoying it.
I’m very happy Ari Lennox was finally able to get out of her Dreamville deal considering that she was constantly airing out her grievances towards them for shelving her music & Vacancy makes it’s case for being Ari’s greatest body of work yet, making it worth the 34 month gap between this & age/sex/location. The smooth contemporary R&B & neo-soul production feels reminiscent of Shea Butter Baby’s & the constant theme throughout Ari’s career of new beginnings or starting over takes on a whole new meaning of itself.
DJ Camper is a 35 year old producer, DJ, rapper & singer/songwriter from Atlantic City, New Jersey notable for being a close collaborator of Big K.R.I.T. & formerly an in-house producer for G.O.O.D. Music at 1 point within the past decade. He has since gotten the chance to collaborate with those from YG & Kehlani to Doja Cat & Doechii, notably producing the 2nd single “Boom Bap” off the latter’s Grammy winning 2nd mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal. However, he’s been compiling a debut solo album where a cast of both well-known R&B singers are jumping over his beats to perform on top of them for some time now & he’s ready to proper introduce himself individually.
“Tonight” by Lucky Daye sets the tone of what’s to come telling his lover not to say things she doesn’t want to show him over a smooth instrumental whereas “War” by Ari Lennox & Jeremih teams up for this triumphant R&B duet singing about being ready to fight people for the love these 2 protagonists have for each other. “Oowee” by Jill Scott & Ty$ takes a more atmospheric approach stylistically for an ode to smoking weed leading into “I Need It” by Syd & Tank declaring this to be the soundtrack to making love.
Camper himself shows off his singing abilities on the minimally produced “Love Me” including Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica during the outro telling his partner she either loves him or not just before “Come Over” by WanMor yearns for the woman in mind to pull up at their place since she’s missing out. “16 Summers” by Alex Isley & Rose Gold recalls the time it’s been since either of them discovered their first loves while “Waiting on You” by Tone Stith incorporates some pianos at the start & strings from Angelina Barrett singing to her man that she’ll be there when he returns.
“Speak to Me” by Arin Ray & Terrace Martin instrumentally switches it up to get the clock going on Campilation’s final moments dabbling with jazz music depicting a couple trying to sort out the issues of their relationship while “Back & Forth” marks DJ Camper’s return to the mic featuring Brandy singing about having nowhere left to go now that he had broken up with a woman whom Brandy does a fine job of portraying. “Love You” by Victoria Monét might be the most lyrically repetitive moment here, although the flute behind her soothing vocals make up for it.
There are only a couple tracks where DJ Camper’s actually singing but as I expected, he spends a great deal of this Campilation getting in his R&B bag & it has me wondering if he’ll do a sequel where he gets a bunch of rappers over his production kinda like what he did here. His production doesn’t lose its smoothness top to bottom & the guest list is primarily consistent other than a few occasional moments that don’t do it for me whatsoever. That said: I can’t deny him amassing a whole cast of artists representing the R&B genre whether it’s the veterans, the ones who’re popular at this moment & those who have more to offer in due time.
Harlem, New York rapper, songwriter, actor, producer, model & fashion designer A$AP Rocky returning to music after 8 long years. A prominent member of the A$AP Mob, his only mixtape LIVE.LOVE.A$AP is one of the greatest tapes of the previous decade & his debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP under RCA Records came during my sophomore year of high school to further acclaim.The sophomore effort AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP came the week of my high school graduation was highly praised too, going for an experimental direction with Testing & has finally dropped Don’t Be Dumb after starting a family with Rihanna.
“Order of Protection” begins Flacko Season with a self-produced drumless loop with some hi-hats incorporated at the halfway point talking about being back in his bag whereas the 2nd & final single “Helicopter$” goes for a Memphis vibe instrumentally homaging the Petey Pablo single “Raise Up”. After the “Interrogation” skit, “Stole Ya Flow” blends industrial hip hop & trap speculated to be a jab at Drake when he said in a recent interview that isn’t the case leading into the pop rap/R&B fusion “Stay Here 4 Life” featuring & produced by Brent Faiyaz with co-production from Hit-Boy.
Cardo & Thundercat jump behind the boards for the cloudy trap highlight “Playa” advising not to stare when the diamonds be goin’ on & teaching others how to ball just before the hypnotic “No Trespassing” that Take a Daytrip cooked up suggests he might move out to Texas & shut down anyone who enters his property without permission. “Stop Snitching” featuring Sauce Walka samples “Give This Love a Try” by Leroy Hutson talking about going through it all from the start while “STFU” featuring the Slay Squad gives off an electro vibe to the beat sending a message to those who don’t know when to shut up.
“Punk Rocky” combines post-punk revival, neo-psychedelia, psychedelic pop, indie surf, dream pop & rap rock alongside Ging pleading for him not to be left heartbroken while “Air Force (Black DeMarco)” talks about driving a Ferrari like it’s stolen. Can’t deny Digital Nas or Digital Nazi made one of the album’s craziest instrumentals alongside T-Minus during the jazzy “Whiskey (Release Me)” putting Digital Nazi’s ragebaiting & Twitter trolling aside trying to get high as possible while “Robbery” featuring Doechii references WWE Hall of Famer Mr. T continuing to carry over the jazz elements.
The title track embraces a happier atmosphere singing that he’d do anything to stay in Rihanna’s good graces prior to “Trip Baby” shaking it up with a chipmunk soul sample courtesy of Harry Fraud warning that anyone who fucks around near him will get clicked. “The End” featuring Jessica Pratt & will.i.am flips both “The Rip” by Portishead & “Ebony Glass” by Nancy Priddy drumlessly envisioning the apocalypse while “SWAT Team” talks about the Mob being rich thieves over a horror-inspired trap beat.
“Fish n Steak (What it Is)” by WANG$AP hooks up a prominent flute from Beat Butcha so they can speak of slowing the world down from the 713 to the 718 while “Sundress” starts the deluxe run after “Flackito Jodye” combines his most 2 prominent aliases having Danger Mouse sampling “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?” by Tame Impala telling his ex she flat out fell in the wrong hands. “Babushka Boi” meshes Memphis rap & drift phonk for a song written about an experience where he had his face cut while “D.M.B. (Dat’$ Mah B!*$H)” talks about his love for drugs & women having both Skepta & Shlohmo helping him achieve a cloudy sound.
Outside the context of it opening the Need for Speed: Unbound soundtrack, “Shittin’ Me” directly asks why some would throw him under the bus when then they have no dirt on him whatsoever while the neo-psychedelically conscious “Same Problems?” remembers a number of artists who’ve passed away. Pharrell & Tyler, The Creator provide “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n)” a lot of cloudy trap energy referencing the late WWE Hall of Famer, former WWE Intercontinental Champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion & 2-time WCW World Television Champion “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
“Highjack” featuring Jessica Pratt collides cloud rap, trap, Memphis rap, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B & neo-soul thanks to Greg Kurstin for a jab at Drake while “Tailor Swif” contains secondary influences of plugg talking about his agility. “Ruby Rosary” featuring J. Cole meshes jazz rap, cloud rap, drumless & illbient thanks to The Alchemist discussing their current artistic positions while DJ Dahi & James Blake sample “Time” by Hans Zimmer on the final bonus track “pray4dagang”tackling introspective subjects.
Testing nearly a decade later still contains some of my favorite A$AP Rocky tracks “Praise the Lord (Da Shine)” & “Gunz n Butter”, but Don’t Be Dumb marks a celebratory comeback I’d have to put above it’s 2018 predecessor. The predominantly experimental trap production occasionally sprinkles hints of cloud rap, Memphis rap, neo-psychedelia, drumless, industrial hip hop, pop rap, R&B, post-punk revival, psychedelic pop, indie surf, dream pop, rap rock & chipmunk soul throughout the hour portraying the man he’s become whilst dissecting 6 different alter egos of his.
Here we have the 19th proper solo album from Ghanan emcee Recognize Ali. This guy has been a dominant force in the underground from his vast discography of LPs, mixtapes & EPs within the last decade or so to the stellar feature performances that he’s provided for numerous artists. Some standouts in his ever-growing catalog to me personally include the Giallo Point-produced Back 2 Mecca, the Stu Bangas-produced Guerrilla Dynasty trilogy & the Bronze Nazareth-produced Season of the 7 to only name a few. Coming off Back to M3cca this fall, DJ D-Styles has been brought in to fully produce All Shall Perish.
“Realest” comes out the gate with this gritty boom bap opener advising that it wouldn’t be clever to go to war with him whereas “Killing Birds” featuring Bub Styles eerily talks about shattering dreams emptying full clip magazines at their opps. “Perpetual Stew” maintains a hardcore boom bap vibe reminding the world he’s been that dude with the repertoire that says it all while “Give ‘Em Hell” blends some pianos & saxophones with kicks & snares warning one could get murked for crossing him.
Boob Bronx & Chubs join Ali on the title track boasting that everything they touch becomes monumental leading into “Bad Mon” talking about not fucking around because of the size of his stick & the possibility of lives being lost. “Soft Ones” featuring Sage Infinite finds the 2 speaking of loading up when it’s war time & after taking a moment to talk about how “Sometimes the Predator is the Prey”, the final song “Real Recognize” wraps up All Shall Perish issuing a statement demanding his authenticity gets acknowledged.
Guerilla Dynasty III was a great conclusion to an outstanding trilogy & I thought Back to M3cca was cool although I didn’t enjoy it as much. All Shall Perish on the other hand improves from it’s predecessor a few months earlier & it’s easily Recognize Ali’s best solo effort in a while. The guest list can be 50/50, but DJ D-Styles’ production representing the signature Beat Junkie Sound & the Greenfield Music founder’s penmanship combined outweighs what very few criticisms I have towards it.
Brand new LP & the 7th altogether from Charlotte, North Carolina recording artist BigBabyGucci. Starting almost a decade ago off his debut EP ART HOE Collection, he would continue to build a name for himself by putting out 19 more EPs as well as 6 full-lengths & his last couple tapes along the way. When U Wake Up, When You Go to Sleep, Baby 5 & the heavily alternative ANTI have all become his strongest material of the 2020s although I can’t the same for Isolation 2.5 a month after the latter. Internet Explorer was a fun redemption for himself & 5 months later, following up And When I’m Alone a couple months ago supplying a dose of Serotonin.
“The Biggest Opp” starts off with a synth-trap instrumental talking about making it to the top of an enemies list for being what they aspire of becoming whereas “Crew Love” goes for a funkier vibe asking his lover what she wants to do. “Waymo” continues to embrace a futuristic trap vibe talking about righting all of his wrongs leading into “Hate Me So Bad” taking inspiration from synth-funk a bit trying to figure why some hold resentment towards him.
Internet Money Records in-house producer Nico Baran co-produces “Molasses” getting back in his mode addressing a sweet talker who he deems to be slow just before “Pay 4 Love” atmospherically tells his lover he’s hoping they can take off together. “Upside Down” has a more playful tone to it talking about knowing what this bad bitch who came across his path needs while “Broke as Fuck” tropically boasts his chains come in all different colors similarly to a box of crayons.
“Heartbreak Hotel” kicks off the final act of Serotonin asking if it’s a problem that he likes to get high daily & whipping up a pot soon as he gets out of bed at the crack of dawn while “Fall Out” stylistically feels like a cross between Graduation and 808s & Heartbreak flexing that he’ll pull up with all the swag. “Soul Cry” finishes by continuing to take inspiration from those previously mentioned albums seeing his future in the distance whenever he goes to sleep at night.
Continuing to hold off a little longer until House of Mirrors or Soda & Syrup 2 and now Dopamine arrive, BigBabyGucci further capitalizes on the success of And When I’m Alone hitting the studio again for nearly a dozen new songs of audio Serotonin clocking at almost a half hour marking the beginning of what’s looking like a stronger year for him. The production’s a lot more synth-based than some of his recent output & maintains the hunger he had a couple months ago, complimenting the sound with fun pop rap performances.
Hollywood, California rapper & entrepreneur Wakko the Kidd making his full-length studio debut. Introducing himself in the summer of 2018 off his debut single “Multiple Racks”, he would go on to launch his own strain of cannabis called Airheadz a year later. However in the summer of 2024, the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records & has performed at many of their events like the Gathering of the Juggalos or Hallowicked. To get the hatchet’s 2026 going, he’s ready to finally drop In Airheadz We Trust days away from JCW Lunacy head writer Vince Russo crowning Facade of The Neon Blondes & Ken Anderson as the new JCW American Champion & JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion respectively.
“Back n Forth” featuring Rio da Yung O.G. begins with a Detroit trap instrumental talking about wasting no time with broke bitches whereas “Bury a Body” featuring Ouija Macc finds the 2 teaming up for a more standard trap vibe offering to show listeners how to dispose corpses. “What’s That!?” featuring Baby Kia blends some synths hi-has boasting their freshness just before “Bloodbath” featuring Violent J talks about getting cash soon as they wake up.
Derez De’Shon joins Wakko on “How Many Times?” cloudily advising people that this is their chance to do their dance leading into “Fake Love” featuring Doobie combining trap & rock so they can talk about people pretending to support them when that isn’t the case in reality. “Cherry Cola” featuring RMC Mike returns to the Detroit sound speaking of doing better things in life like focusing towards their music careers while “Goin’ Crazy” featuring Peewee Longway sees the pair talking about their successes.
The song “Back It Up” featuring Icewear Vezzo & Soulja Boy kicks off the last leg of In Airheadz We Trust incorporating some 808s & bells for a single appealing to the strip clubs while “Death Wish” featuring Shaggy 2 Dope & produced by Mythic Mindz tells everyone who’ve been praying for their demise that they could end up on the 11:00 news. “Outta My Mind” featuring Layzie Bone wraps up Wakko’s debut with a cloudy trap crossover talking about smoking weed & the only song without a guest “Swing the Hatchet” shows his loyalty to Psychopathic.
I got to meet this guy a couple months ago at Hallowicked & some of the singles we got building towards In Airheadz We Trust gave me a better understanding as to why ICP signed him to Psychopathic, but Wakko the Kidd much like Ouija is stylistically different compared to a lot of the artists the label that runs beneath the streets has signed previously. A lot of the production is catered to the Detroit sound & although I don’t mind most of the guests, I feel like there are more of them then there needed to be.
Manhattan, New York singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Will Epstein is back for his 3rd solo LP to get 2026 rolling. Known for being 1/2 of the indie pop duo High Water, he would go on to sign with Fat Possum Records & make his own full-length debut with Whims in the fall of 2022 to moderate reception with the sophomore effort Wendy following a few months later to mild feedback as well. Yeah, mostly however had me hoping Will would outdo himself musically based off a couple teasers within the last few months, only days succeeding Becky Lynch becoming a 2-time WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion & Rhiyo being crowned the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
“Saturday Night” begins with this Americana intro singing about fireflies shining bright during the dark evenings of the weekend whereas “Brideshead Revisited Revisited” goes for an indie rock direction stylistically homaging the Evelyn Waugh novel Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder. “Dishwasher” gives off a slower vibe singing about feeling at peace when he’s washing dishes leading into the piano-driven “Riverside” confesses this person in his life feels a lot closer than previously.
Moving on from there, “Socks in LA” gets back to an indie rock sound singing about only sleeping in his socks whenever he’s in the west coast due to the constantly warm weather just before “That’ll Be Me” has a sadder mood altogether recalling his grandmother Sherrie passing away & a friend named Max losing his home in the wildfires around this time 52 weeks ago. “Little Tony Soprano” references the main character from one of my top 3 favorite shows of all-time The Sopranosmaintaining the indie rock elements while “Window Window Window” blissfully advises to stop looking for kisses & fixes.
“Dimmer Switch” starts the last leg of Yeah, mostly embracing a smoother approach singing about him being unable to control how much this person means to Will while “Standing at My Standing Desk” asking himself whether he’ll be a father or bail out as well as getting caught between the past & the future. “Lauren Bacall” wraps up the album giving his flowers to the actress who was amongst of the last surviving stars from Hollywood’s golden age era hooking up some meditative piano chords behind him.
Yeah, mostly comes across being a lot more personal & self-assured Will Epstein has ever sounded compared to both of it’s moderately received predecessors looking at different facets of the singer/songwriter that emerge throughout the course of a single day. Tough to say whether or not it’ll be amongst my favorite albums of 2026 next winter, but it’s a worthy indie rock offering with secondary influences of Americana & singer/songwriter to get the year going containing stronger songwriting than Whims & Wendy’s combined.
Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia rapper & singer/songwriter The Kid Laroi beginning 2026 with his sophomore effort. Emerging as a protege of the late Juice WRLD, he subsequently signed to Grade A Productions & Interscope Records up until his debut mixtape Fuck Love received mixed-to-negative reviews including 3 separate reissues. His debut album The 1st Time under Columbia Records was only a slightly better product, returning 26 months later to drop Before I Forgetin the midst of him coming out of a relationship.
“Me + You” decently samples “Tell Your Friends” by The Weeknd singing about Findlay McConnell wanting to fight him when he always thought they were friends whereas “July” goes for an alternative R&B vibe recalling him & Tate McRae breaking up 6 months earlier. “Private” asks himself whether he & Tate had moved too fast or if they let everyone in on what they had leading into the trap soul-flavored “Come Down” produced by FNZ singing about wanting to be with his ex.
Lithe joins Laroi on “Rather Be” continuing to delve deeper regarding his breakup with Tate McRae while the 2nd single “A Perfect World” combines sophisti-pop, contemporary R&B, soft rock & vaporwave whining about him & Tate being together in an alternate universe where they had resolved their issues. “5:21AM” acoustically yearns to be the man she wishes he would be while the lead single “A Cold Play” responds “Tit for Tat” blending alternative R&B, alt-pop, trap soul, Memphis rap & cloud rap.
“The Moment” continues the 2nd half of Before I Forget singing about waiting for the day he & Tate’s spirits are safe from the public eye while “Never Came Back” hooks up some acoustics confessing there was a point where he couldn’t sleep because of her leaving him, taking weeks for him to be at peace with the breakup. “Thank God” leans towards an alt-pop sound dismissing the possibility of loving his next girlfriend the way he loved Tate while “I’m So in Love with You” sings about him still having feelings towards her, being the only thing that he sees since last summer.
We have The Kid Laroi taking a moment on the piano-driven “Maybe I’m Wrong” responding to “Trying on Shoes” by confessing that he lost the series of singles he & Tate had put out attacking one another while “Her” doesn’t feel like an interlude at all, pleasing for Tate to take him back because the shape of her’s still carved in his heart. The 3rd & final single “Back When You Were Mine” wraps up the LP in the form of this moderate contemporary R&B, pop & soft rock outro hoping she doesn’t take it the wrong way since it was conceived when they were still dating.
“Back 2 Love” starts the deluxe run telling Tate to swing by since he was gone for an entire summer & giving a fuck less if they argue while “Hold Still” fuses R&B & rock courtesy of Ging singing about whether she has his trust or not. “I Condemn” experiments with rage & pop rap thanks to Outtatown except I would’ve preferred if he gave the beat to someone else since Laroi’s essentially responding to “Tit for Tat” again while “Quit You” sings about Tate being the worst drug he’s ever taken.
Things take a turn for an alternative R&B direction during “Weakest Feeling” confessing he’d rather not spend his Sundays with her while “Pieces” sings about him understanding Tate’s reasons for dissing him & what hits his mind when he misses her. “Move Your Body” dabbles with a funkier sound calling for everyone to hit the dance floors & after “Echoes” vents the difficulty of moving on from his previous relationship, the final bonus track “Dying on This Hill” sends it all off wanting Tate to know he’ll always be there for her.
Does anybody remember when Robin Thicke dedicated his 6th album Paula & his last under Star Trak Entertainment to saving his initial marriage with Paula Patton only for her to divorce him a year later? That’s kinda what The Kid Laroi does with Before I Forget except he was never married to Tate McRae & it actually has some occasionally enjoyable moments than Paula. The production’s more focused around contemporary R&B than The 1st Time with lesser influences of alternative R&B as well as trap soul & alt-pop which is merely passable, I just think the themes get tiring after a certain point.
