Corpus Christi rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director Kevin Abstract back with his 5th solo LP. Making his debut in 2014 in the form of MTV1987, he followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective the year after. Both of Kevin’s solo efforts since then ARIZONA baby & The Family were solid although I liked the latter more for it’s chipmunk soul heavy sound. However almost a year after BROCKHAMPTON’s disbandment, it seems like Kevin’s going for a new vibe on Blanket.

“When the Rope Post 2 Break” opens the album with some guitar passages from Romil Hemnani whispering to stay put whereas the title track is a mediocre indie rock cut with elements of noise pop & slacker rock which doesn’t sound bad, just feels extremely underwritten. “Running Out” draws inspiration from emo pop & even post-punk revival to not take time for anyone that this point in his life right now that is until “The Greys” comes through with an upbeat jam about not needing the rest of the party.

Meanwhile, “Voyager” goes into a synth-based direction with a bit of a Kanye influence so Kevin can admit that he feels himself growing older for the first time ever just before “Madonna” mixes bedroom pop with indie folk & indietronica singing about rewriting the past & not looking back on it from hereon out. The indie rock infused “Today I Gave Up” doesn’t really need any further explanation with the subject matter, but then “What Should I Do?” gives off a predominant indie pop flare to it talking about telling ghost stories to friends through fences.

After the “Mr. Edwards” interlude, “Scream” singing over a delicate beat to someone that he can only hear through the whispers of the trees while the catchy “Real 2 Me” apologizes for inviting himself & being spellbound by a friend. The stripped-back “Heights, Spiders & the Dark” checks his muses’ world every night to see if they’re alright making him so confused to keep all of them & “My Friend” is an acoustic closer singing that you’ll never understand the way Kevin feels about this individual.

This dude has so much talent & will easily have the biggest solo career out of everyone in the BROCKHAMPTON camp even though I just enjoyed the new Ameerlyn EP Slime in the Ice Machine from last weekend. However, Blanket is a complete stylistic departure from what we got on The Family. Romil’s production is more centered around indie rock & indie pop with elements of bedroom pop & slacker rock as Kevin has more than enough vocal chops to pull it off.

Score: 4/5

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