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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 Yokan would 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

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Paul Cornish – “You’re Exaggerating!” review

This is the full-length debut studio album from Houston, Texas pianist Paul Cornish. Known for working with the likes of Terrace Martin or Robert Glasper & Herbie Hancock, he would go on to sign with the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records this past January after solidifying himself by blending post-bop with blues & gospel. Coming off the heels of 3 singles with in the past 7 weeks or so, You’re Exaggerating! looks to carry the torch for all the pianos players who began an 86 year tradition that’s still going strong.

“DB Song” comes out the gate blending these settle piano passages with Jonathan Pinson on drums & Joshua Crumbly on bass hence the “DB” in the title whereas “Queinxiety” expresses Paul’s habit of chronic overthinking the 3 & a half minutes. “Star is Born” references the formation of literal stars instead of the composer himself leading into “Slow Song” removing the drums & bass from the equation.

As for “5AM”, we have Paul looking back at his days in college where he used to wake up very early to work out just before the lead single “Dinosaur Song” takes inspiration from his girlfriend’s nephew. Jeff Parker plays guitar on 2nd single “Palindrome” complimenting the Monkian keys & after the final single “Queen Geri” pays tribute to the late Geri Allen, the closer “Modus Operani” shows off a bit of a baroque influence to end the LP.

Inspired by Robert Glasper’s sophomore effort Canvas & it’s follow-up In My Element, all 9 of the original compositions that Paul Cornish conceived throughout the course of his 42 minute debut continues a historic lineage of local pianists by taking out a few pages from his story leaning towards the styles of post-bop & jazz fusion with an approach that tends to entice the audience rather than impressing them.

Score: 4/5

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Nourished by Time – “The Passionate Ones” review

This is the sophomore effort from Baltimore, Maryland singer/songwriter & producer Nourished by Time a.k.a. Marcus Brown. Beginning under the original monikers Riley with Fire & Mother Marcus until sticking with his current name, he would go on to drop his debut EP Erotic Priobotic followed by the sequel in the spring of 2023 & sign to XL Recordings a year later. His previous EP Catching Chickens would arrive a couple months later, preluding The Passionate Ones nearly 6 weeks after Justin Bieber experimented with bedroom pop over the course of his 7th album Swag in light of him becoming a father.

“Automatic Love” sets up shop in the form of this synthpop intro singing about being loved in a way he’s never known previously whereas “Idiot in the Park” soothingly desires a type of romance that’ll leave him with scars, vocally throwing it back to the days of the late King of Hooks Nate Dogg on certain occasions. The lead single “Max Potential”blends bedroom pop, neo-psychedelia, hypnagogic pop, synthpop, dream pop singing about the stabilization of affection while “It’s Time” admits the only 2 things he has are baggage & a vision of love.

After the “Cult” interlude, the 2nd single “9 2 5”brings together elements of deep house, outsider house, freestyle music & Jersey club singing about life being hateful when that couldn’t be any more accurate regarding the state of the world in 2025 just before the peppy synthpop tune “Crazy People” kicks off the 2nd half of The Passionate Ones suggesting that the insane doesn’t flat out admit it openly. “Jojo” featuring Tony Bontana works in some bass guitar licks singing about never being any worse while the 3rd & final single “Baby Baby” mixes new wave, experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, synthpop, Atlanta bass, electro & political hip hop comparing the murder of Freddie Gray to the ongoing Gaza genocide.

“Tossed Away” begins the LP’s final act incorporating some heavy synthesizers with a Stevie Wonder twist to it feeling disillusioned by many Americans having difficulty of paying rent & buying groceries due to everything becoming more expensive while “The War’s Over” sings over a piano instrumental that the only case scenario of him surrendering is if the woman he’s addressing gets with him. The neo-psychedelic title track finishes with one of the most gratifying outros I’ve heard all year, skillfully tying up all loose ends culminating it’s core themes & prominent sounds feeling like he’s lost his reflection or pondering if the future will be in his favor.

Laying out the blueprint for building your own altar in the ruins of the American Dream, what Nourished by Time has done for the bedroom pop subgenre of indie pop in the 45 minutes The Passionate Ones has to offer is far more groundbreaking than Swag earlier this summer & could go down amongst the greatest albums to ever come from that style of music. Marcus’ production further explores alternative R&B, neo-psychedelia, hypnagogic pop, synthpop, sophisti-pop, UK street soul, deep house, outsider house, freestyle music, Jersey club, dream pop, experimental hip hop, Atlanta bass & electro powerfully tackling subjects including love or labor & everyday existential pressure.

Score: 4.5/5

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Joey Valence & Brae – “Hyperyouth” review

State College, Pennsylvania emcee/production duo Joey Valence & Brae making their major label debut with their 3rd studio LP. Although their 2022 debut EP The Underground Sound was moderately received, their debut album Punk Tactics would go on to earn significantly improved positive reception & the sophomore effort No Hands catapulted their into popularity, garnering comparisons to the Beastie Boys. So much that the Sony Music subsidiary RCA Records gave these guys full artistic control ahead of Hyperyouth.

The title track samples “Like a Punk” along with “Bangarang” by Skrillex & “Block Rockin’ Beats” by The Chemical Brothers to encapsulate the fear of growing up whereas “Bust Down” featuring TiaCorine talks about never changing, including a dig taken at Sydney Sweeney following the controversial American Eagle ad she recently did that would make Ye formerly known as Kanye West proud.

“Give it to Me” expresses the modern day equivalent of the Beastie Boys’ desires of their future partners being badder than Bebe Rexha herself leading into “Is This Love?” talking about loving the women they’re currently seeing more than the FL Studio program itself as well as being married to the game & refusing to go out to clubs because of anxiety getting the best of them.

Rebecca Black of all people teams up with JVB on “See U Dance” for a contemporary R&B, pop rap, dance-pop & Atlanta bass crossover talking about wanting to watch women dancing while “Party’s Over” comes out the gate with a reference to former IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン as well as a 10-time WWE world champion & former UFC Heavyweight Champion in both TKO Group Holdings divisions Brock Lesnar.

“Wassup” featuring JPEGMAFIA finds the trio teaming up for a hardcore hip hop single showing secondary influences of Miami bass & crunk music chopping up careers together while “Live Right” gets the 2nd half going talks about the fear of growing up. “Billie Jean” breaks down the type of music they like to hear at the club giving props to the late Michael Jackson while “Have to Cry” samples “Cry” by Bobby Caldwell to get vulnerable.

Meanwhile on “The Party Song”, we have JVB dabbling with industrial hip hop for an ode to getting wild just before “Myself” takes a mellow boom bap approach instrumentally asking if you can do it like them. “Go Hard” featuring TiaCorine finds the trio dropping braggadocio sampling “Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambataa while “Disco Tomorrow” finishes the pairing’s major label debut by talking about not playing with their hearts.

“friends” starts the deluxe run calling for everyone to bust a move & get cheeky all their homies while “push the pipe” leans towards a boom bap sound talking about the world being ours for right now. “how does it feel to be so young?” feels like more of an interlude from the synthesizers to the repetitive songwriting while the 2-parter “bustamove” goes full-blown dubstep. “i like this” shows a more playful side to the duo lyrically feeling like their hearts are full & the final bonus track “changes” ends with them talking about seeing the vision clearly.

Birthed from Joey Valence & Brae’s experiences in the clubs of very little individuals sharing the same excitement & expression for music as them, they ditch the mid-school hip hop aesthetics of much of their previous material in favor of existential club music. Their production focuses less around the mid-school hip hop elements of their earlier stuff in favor of hardcore hip hop, boom bap, pop rap, electronic dance music, Miami bass, Atlanta bass, crunk, industrial hip hop, contemporary R&B, dance-pop to explore themes of love, dance, maturing & authenticity.

Score: 4.5/5

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Chance the Rapper – “Star Line” review

Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter, actor & activist Chance the Rapper returning for an official sophomore effort. Becoming an overnight sensation in 2012 towards the end of my freshman year of high school with his debut mixtape 10 Day, he would eventually follow it up the next year with one of the best mixtapes of the previous decade: Acid Rap. Coloring Book had a more admirably Christian message to his music & The Big Day became one of the worst albums of the 2010s, looking to bounce back on Star Line.

“Ride” featuring Do or Die & Twista on the remix after the intro made for a cloudy trap opener with everyone talking about getting your brothers ride & them having your back moving forward whereas “No More Old Men” works in some strings to assure that he’ll live until his hair turns white. “The Negro Problem” goes for a boom bap vibe instrumentally talking about Afrocentricity leading into the “Drapetomania” featuring BabyChiefDoit dabbling with trap a bit to go crazy.

Vic Mensa reunites with Chance on the autobiographical “Back to the Go” referencing Black Sabbath fronted by the late WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne alongside fellow WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s revived Death Row Records leading into “The Highs & Lows” featuring Joey Bada$$ consciously blending jazz rap, boom bap & neo-soul for them to talk about taking the ups & the downs. The neo-soul/Afrobeats hybrid “Space & Time” sings to be freed of his ex really loved him while “Link Me in the Future” talks about waiting on forever.

“Gun In Yo Purse” featuring TiaCorine & Young Thug starts the 2nd half of Star Line with the trio hopping over a trap beat to suggest that things will get worse sometimes while “Tree” featuring Lil Wayne might’ve been my least favorite single amongst the handful that we got awkwardly mutating pop reggae & pop reggae for both of them to talk about weed. “Burn Ya Block” takes a shot at hip house looking to see the block on fire while “Letters” returns to the Christian hip hop vibes of his last couple projects.

To get the 4th quarter going, “Speed of Light” fuses these choir vocals & EDM drums together for an uplifting track about society wanting to hold each other down while “Pretty” talks about self-love. “Just a Drop” featuring Jay Electronica finds the pair tackling religious themes once more expressing their need for water to cleanse their spirits & “Speed of Love” laments on his failed marriage, asking when or if a real connection will come to find him. “Child of God” starts the deluxe run to soulfully talk about self-discovery & self-affirmation while “Wraith” featuring Vic Mensa felt a tad bit mediocre compared to “Back to the Go” earlier, even with it’s minimally abstract lyricism.

“A Bar About a Bar” was a stronger attempt at Chance abstractly holding it down by himself while the footwork-driven “Yah Know” talks about mobbing in discreet. Gospel, jazz rap & chipmunk soul back the conscious subject matter of “Buried Alive” reflecting of a dark place he was at in his life while my favorite bonus track of the bunch “Together” produced by DJ Premier talks about his Chicago upbringings. “Stars Out” balances trap & jazz rap well thanks to Dominique Sanders doubling down on people turning their backs on them because of The Big Day while “Bad Boys 2” featuring Joey Purp homages the Michael Bay film of the same name. “3333” responds to the low ticket sales of his Minnesota State Fair performance while “Quiet Storm” airs his frustrations with the world these past 7 months.

Needless to say: A lot has happened to Chance the Rapper these past 6 years & Star Line makes his official comeback with what The Big Day should’ve been the summer prior to the COVID-19 pandemic changing our lives permanently. His consciously poppy lyrics takes the lessons he’s learned all this time head-on carrying over the predecessor’s secondary influences of neo-soul, jazz rap, chipmunk soul & trap to hit the targets better regarding their incorporations. I’d lastly be remised to point out the Christian hip hop & contemporary R&B elements being replaced in favor of boom bap & jazz rap, calling back to his earlier days.

Score: 3.5/5

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