I wanted to wait a bit before listening to this because I had things to do, but now I got curious from how everyone was talking about it, so I finally heard it. Most people are correct, this album is disappointing.
Now this doesn't mean I hate this album, but I didn't like most of it either.

Here's what I don't like about it:
The production is very inconsistent in quality, and most of it is the same muddy sound. It doesn't sound lofi/intentionally muddy either, it ... read more

I am a bit biased towards R&B, so I may praise this album a little too much.

Pulp is a very pleasant R&B project which carries some nice mixes and vocals from Ambré. The length is reasonable, being only around 45 minutes long(I’m referring to Director’s Cut but I prefer this cover more)

The production doesn’t stand out as much as 3000° and Wanderlust, but it still has plenty of really nice stand out tracks on here, those being fubu, band practice, plenty, ... read more

This is a debut album for DESTIN CONRAD, his previous EPs were already amazing, so to finally get a full length LP felt like a blessing for anyone who is a fan of him.

KISSING IN PUBLIC immediately drew me in, especially since it was basically an LGBT anthem about not being afraid to love someone with people around. The strings are beautiful, and the background vocals are majestic.

The rest of the album is less 2000s sounding and more synth and guitar heavy, tracks like BAD BITCHES, ... read more

Something Beautiful is truly something beautiful, almost every second of the album is fun and well made, clear with more intent that most people think.

Her reputation has been pretty bad since her Dead Petz album in 2015(even though I love that album), especially when she dropped the Bruno Mars thievery that was Flowers. Pop music also has had a bad rep up until albums the experimental resurgence in 2024, but that went down literally the year after.

In a time where Christian/conservative ... read more

Mama’s Gun is a different direction from Baduizm. The sound is more experimental. The tracks are much longer, and Erykah’s words are even more insightful.

The production is more grounded and acoustic, making the lyrics more realistic and down to earth. There is some production from J Dilla and drums from Questlove, who are people that established the Soulquarians after Baduizm and D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar.

Penitentiary Philosophy is an amazing album opener. Despite the ... read more

Erykah Badu’s debut album, Baduizm, is a very good project if you want to put someone on to R&B, and especially Alternative R&B and Neo Soul.

This album is much more mainstream in terms of its sound compared to later projects, but I think it’s mainstream for the reason that it’s just great. It’s why you would get from a 90s R&B sound, but it’s different enough to stand out on it’s own from the more conventional R&B songs on the charts.

Her ... read more

What I think is weird is that most albums after someone’s debut album drops in quality or becomes a cash grab. Joey Valence & Brae are out of that group, since their albums actually increase in quality as they drop more.

HYPERYOUTH is their best project, when I thought it couldn’t get better, it defied that expectation and got even better. This album has much more diverse production with its inclusion of more alternative songs(HAVE TO CRY and DISCO TOMORROW).

The lyrics are ... read more

NO HANDS is pretty much PUNK TACTICS, but everything is improved.

The production on PUNK TACTICS was already very solid for a debut album, but this album has given it more attention and a big step up in quality and also sampling, my favorite instance being CAN’T STOP NOW with the sample of Give It All You Got from SpongeBob SquarePants(I know it’s from the deluxe version idc).

The lyricism also took a jump in the amount of really good bars and funny references, with the features ... read more

I've decided to listen to every JVB album before HYPERYOUTH, and this one was first.

I must say for a debut album made by only 2 people in college, this shit slaps.
I normally don't like unserious music, but I think Joey Valence, and especially Brae know how to do it in a way that's refreshing and not corny or overly vulgar like how people think unserious songs are.

The title track, is probably one of the best openers to a rap album. It never loses energy throughout, in fact I ... read more

Same thing as Bangerz, I wasn't there when it came out, or at least I didn't know about it, so I may not have the correct set of ears to hear it.

I'm going to start with the production, since it is one of the big reasons why I love it so much. The whimsical synth arps and pads, as well as the trippy guitars and distorted bass really set the tone of the album, while still going all over the place with Electronic and classic Psych-Rock. The production is especially high in Milky ... read more

This album is probably one of my, or if not my favorite album of 2025.

Whatever is good about his previous projects. crank that to a 10, that's what this is.

The production on the album is immaculate, and everyone did their thing on it, even Bay Davis did a great poem on GLORY. The electric keys, brass, and background vocals were beautiful. Louie Lastic and DESTIN CONRAD really put crack in these tracks. The best tracks are hands down the ones featuring Vanisha Gould(A Lonely Detective ... read more

The album does have some misses, but that’s only because I didn’t listen to the album when it first came out. I was literally in preschool, so I probably don’t have the right ears to appreciate it the right way.

The features do their thing on this album, my favorites being Big Sean(Love Money Party), Britney Spears(SMS), and Ludacris(Hands in the Air).

As much as I love the singles, I especially love the deeper cuts, My Darlin’, Someone Else, and especially ... read more

This was the exact album I’ve been wanting from him since I became a fan of him.

I love the mix of lofi hip hop and alternative rock that him and his producers have decided to go for on this project.
It’s good that he decided to once again focus on the music instead of the message with no regards for if it’s actually listenable(unlike USD lol)
I think stay alone and every heartbeat should have been apart of the tracklist, since they match the rest of the tracks so well.

only ... read more

I’m gonna get my compliments out the way before I complain about what I listened to.(I know this review is like 2 weeks late, I don’t care)

I like the political message against conservatives and the current US government.
The first 2 songs are fun, and other tracks like VIETNAM are better when he performs them live(especially since I’ve heard some of this album live at one of his concerts).
The chill section, while I do not like country and bluegrass very much, was rather ... read more