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 or the Nazi 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ヘビー級王座 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.

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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