Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Surf
Critic Score
Based on 18 reviews
2015 Ratings: #56 / 1021
Year End Rank: #29
User Score
Based on 416 ratings
2015 Rank: #371
Liked by 13 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
Pretty Much Amazing
Sure, it’s balmy and comforting, a Summer Record through and through. But even at its softest and most lysergic, it’s never passive. The emotional scope is wide and true. It’s capable of destroying you in the space of a few seconds and then sweeping you to your feet moments later.
91
A.V. Club

This is unabashedly happy, festive music about being true to yourself, and on paper that sounds downright tacky. But Surf is so vibrant, so alive with triumphant vibes and unadulterated joy, that it never leaves any room for cynicism.

90
PopMatters
The album comes off not as an excuse for indulgence but as a genuinely considered set of songs that are catchy and memorable, soaked in a perfect amount of optimism that never once makes a turn for the saccharine.
90
Complex

Surf is a boardwalk picnic with sunset views of the Ferris wheel, grassy laughter, and paper plates smeared with blueberry shortcake.

90
Exclaim!

Surf succeeds on multiple levels: as a rap album, as a soul album, as a showcase of musicianship and as proof that the industry ladder can be ascended without a label or sales.

88
Paste

Surf is an album that further pushes modern hip hop into bold new frontiers.

85
The 405
The highly anticipated collaborative album debut, spontaneously unleashed for free on iTunes, is elevated and progressive throughout the 16-track opus, which fuses an anomaly of jazz, rap and R&B layers into a sort of audial Interstellar, free of rules or restrictions.
83
Pitchfork

It's a new sound built on lots of older ones—indie, hip-hop, funk, rock, gospel, various strains of R&B, The Lion King soundtrack—and despite bringing on a large cast and letting each person play their part, the guests all exist on the Social Experiment's terrain.

83
Consequence of Sound
It’s existential in places, sure, but it’s still a smile-widening celebration of an album rooted in bright, soulful instrumentation and refreshing optimism.
80
HipHopDX

Surf will not be for everyone, but for those seeking a sense of spiritual upliftment and a relaxing summertime soundtrack, Surf is the wave you’ve been looking for.

80
NME
And so ‘Surf’ continues – infectious, light and upbeat, but never inane. It begs you to feel included, and wide-awake.
80
XXL
The sum of all parts make for a stupefying sonic experience.
70
SPIN
With its heavy sense of community, emotional uplift and quest for righteousness, the LP is far more appropriate for the chapel than it is for the club.
70
Rolling Stone

Chance the Rapper's 2013 mixtape Acid Rap marked him as one of the brightest new voices in hip-hop. For his next move, he's swerved left, collaborating with a crew of Chicago pals led by Nico Segal (a.k.a. Donnie Trumpet) on a warm, evocative pop-soul-jazz album that comes straight from the heart.

70
Billboard
Much of the album is frenetic -- full of bodies and larger-than-life. But the muted and downcast moments end up being memorable, tender and affecting.
40
The Needle Drop

Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment's long-awaited Surf capitalizes on very little of its full potential.

CadeGilbert
84

boy does this shit still hold up

justchilling21
90

This stuff is great. Best song is Sunday Candy.

Z.Younk
91

Luckily this was widely known NOT to be a follow-up to Acid Rap, but a group project. Releasing as a Free album on iTunes was a good move, for promotion and generosity. Hearing the likes of Busta Rhymes, J Cole and Big Sean was pleasantly surprising, but extra verses from Chance would've still been favorable. The fusion of jazz and world musical styles is very welcome and appreciated, especially on cuts like "Windows", "Just Wait", "Something Came to Me" and ... read more

The77thGuy
80

Sunday Candy was kinda just placed in here, wasn't it? It could've ended the album perfectly but it's placed where it kills the vibe of the song before it instantly and the next one after it kinda just comes out of nowhere.

Favorite Tracks: Miracle, Slip Slide, Go
Least Favorite Track: Something Came To Me

thearcticchxld
70

This was actually a very fun listen

damonbacci
50

so boring that busta rhymes came on and i couldn't give less of a shit

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Added on: May 29, 2015