Ctrl

Growing up in the late 2010s I think immediately makes this album special. Not because it's necessarily detailing experiences specific to that time, because it's not, but because there was nowhere you could go without hearing it or hearing about it. At least for me. The place I happened to hear it the most was in the room I shared with my older brother. He played it so much that at some point it really started to annoy me. Now that I finally have my own room, I thought maybe I should finally sit down and listen to this album and see why it was so impactful to not only my brother but to the many people it had and still kinda does have in a choke hold. Firstly, I thought the album did such a great job at curating a melancholic atmosphere which blended so well with the lyrical content. A lot of this album is about uncertainty, longing, and insecurity. You get half answers and confusion. Much like the production, the lyrics leave space for retrospection which from what I hear make revisiting the album so unique. Coming back usually means being able to fill in a blank or find a solution. The album isn't worried about being perfect or sounding polished. Sound logic and fully established sounds don't make room for thinking about the next step. I think this is great if done intentionally, I think even better if coincidently. For me and my listen, most of this album was acknowledging the impact it's had traced through composition of its sound and substance. However, that also means a lot of it for me was just well constructed music. I will say though, when tracks resonated with me, they hit me hard, so I could imagine that listening to this album as a young black woman might be a deeper experience than it is for me.