This is the 5th studio LP from Houston, Texas rapper & singer/songwriter Don Toliver. Catching my attention in 2018 off his debut mixtape Donny Womack along with being featured on “Can’t Say” off his mentor Travis Scott’s 3rd album ASTROWORLD signing to Cactus Jack Records literally the very next day, his full-length debut Heaven or Hell is a bit underappreciated since it came out when the pandemic started in my opinion & the sophomore effort Life of a Don was solid yet not as good. Lovesick received mixed feedback a few years ago although I appreciated that it was more conceptual, ready to push himself further than his Hardstone Records debut Hardstone Psycho did with Octane.

“E85” begins with Travis Scott sampling “Chest Pain (I Love)” by Malcolm Todd so Don can sing about being on the highway with the love of his life & the mother of his child Kali Uchis whereas “Body” decently flips one of my favorite Justin Timberlake singles “Rock Your Body” thanks to BNYX of Working on Dying admitting to Kali that he goes out of control crushing over her. “Rendezvous” featuring Yeat might be my least favorite collab of theirs & it has more to do with the structuring despite the Rio Leyva instrumental while the atmospherically melodic “2ndhand” sings about Kali being all he wanted in life.

Trap, pluggnb & Memphis rap all collide during the lead single “Tiramisu” produced by Cardo speaking of wanting to spend some quality alone time with Kali Uchis leading into the infectious 2nd & final trap single “ATM” that Honorable C.N.O.T.E.cooked up spitting braggadocio. After the “Long Way to Calabasas” interlude, Wheezy goes for an acoustic trap sound for “Rosary” featuring Travis Scott continuing the themes of love while “All the Signs” featuring Teezo Touchdown ends the 1st half with an alternative R&B duet.

“Call Back” kicks off the 3rd quarter with this futuristic trap heater asking his partner when she’ll return his phone calls while the psychedelically repetitive “Tuition” talks about kinda getting fucked up at the strip club. SahBabii’s appearance on “K9” might be the weakest feature so far although I don’t mind futuristic trap approach Vendr takes instrumentally. “Excavator” combines synths, bells & hi-hats talking about being the type to go & bring her home to take her on vacation while the horn-heavy “Gemstone” courtesy of 30 Roc & FNZ asking why he’d ask a DJ to play his music when he knows it slaps.

Reaching the 4th & final act of Octane, the song “Opposite” confidently assures us he’ll still be making money when he’s no longer here with us physically while “T.M.U. (Turn Me Up)” shifts towards sample-driven cloud rap territory with the help of Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic continuing to tackle the subject of romance. “Pleasure’s Mine” brings the synths back in full effect singing about never picking his feet up from using it to crush the necks of his opps & “Sweet Home” sends it all off finding himself stuck in an cycle.

Hardstone Psycho has already topped Heaven or Hell because I feel like that’s where Don Toliver came into his own, but I’d have to put this new full-length behind his debut although I’d much prefer it over Life of a Don & Lovesick. The production’s more trap-oriented similarly to Octane’s predecessor exploring further elements of pop rap, cloud rap, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B, rage, experimental hip hop & neo-soul trading 2 wheels for 4.

Score: 3.5/5

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