Nothing spectacular, but it didn’t need to be.

Don’t see any tracks being put an any ‘essential Uzi songs’ playlists anytime soon, but that’s not to say there weren’t any highlights. HITTIN MY SHOULDER is my favourite by a comfortable margin due to how fun and hard hitting it is and how much it reminds me of 2015 Luv Is Rage era Uzi. He didn’t do anything extraordinary vocally, and I wasn’t a huge fan of a lot of the choruses here, but when Uzi ... read more

My disappointment is immeasurable.

I listened to Vol.1 recently to get ready and was reminded how great a lot of the tracks on that tape were. Was going into Vol.2 expecting to get at least 3-4 more great tracks and some solid vibes. Oh how wrong was I….. struggled to even get 3-4 GOOD tracks let alone great. It started raining outside listening to the last couple of tracks and I thought that was pretty fitting given how much of a vibe kill this tape was.

I was already concerned ... read more

Pretty funky, pretty wavy, pretty bouncy.

Not really much to say about this one other than the fact that i’m not surprised he’s making another volume given how successful and popular this one was. It’s always fun to hear some of the biggest artists in the world over beats they’d otherwise never be on. And that’s why I think this tape went over as well as it did, mixing funky, groovy, summer beats and rappers like Travis, Thug, and the Migos all giving great ... read more

Culmination of all of Abel’s strengths.

This album really has everything you’d want from a Weeknd album. Insane production, incredible immersion and world-building, some of Abel’s strongest vocal performances, and a steady mix of catchy songs and more emotional cuts. Obviously some songs were worse than others but it is for sure his most faultless project. There’s no songs that overstay their welcome and drag on like some Trilogy and Kissland cuts; and not once does ... read more

Pretty much a happy medium between House Of Balloons and Thursday.

It definitely didn’t have the highs that House Of Balloons had (with Montreal being the only track I thought was ‘great’), but it also didn’t have the dullness that a number of tracks on Thursday displayed. This is also probably my favourite of the Trilogy narrative wise. Starts off with an extremely bold MJ cover that introduces a groupie that is ‘every musician’s fan’ that tries to ... read more

Worst of the Trilogy, but still an engaging listen.

Off the bat, this doesn’t hold a candle to House Of Balloons in pretty much any facet except the narrative, but even then the narrative itself is quite confusing. Is he talking to the ‘Thursday’ girl the whole tape? Is it about multiple women? Towards the beginning they’re both content with only seeing each other on Thursday (to the point where Abel is questioning why she’s calling him before Thursday ... read more

Was clear from the jump Abel was different.

Given the standard this and the other Trilogy tapes are held to I was both excited and curious going in. Often being put in the greatest mixtape of all time conversation, I was sure I would get nothing but masterful performances from Abel. Listening now I can 1000% see how this tape alone changed the entire RnB genre and it definitely deserves massive praise for that; but changing a genre stylistically doesn’t necessarily mean the songs ... read more

A 20 minute therapy session in the form of an EP.

Although I probably wouldn’t come back to many songs here I definitely respect Abel’s attempt at getting some sort of therapeutical closure from his relationship with Selena through music. Although the story does kinda get weird in Hurt You, the story and Abel’s emotions throughout this experience are pretty clear and even get pretty dark as he touches on suicidal thoughts from not only him but Selena. The outro is also very ... read more

A darker but less enjoyable Echoes Of Silence.

Loose thoughts are that it’s a pretty clever and captivating album that I feel could’ve and should’ve been executed a fair bit better. Despite this I really liked the concept of him depicting tour life as a kind of nightmare with him acting on impulses and in ways he never would if he just stayed in Toronto. Turning into this monster of sorts leads to a number of moments pretty unique to this album that climaxes with him ... read more

A cohesive and rewarding listen littered with great tracks.

The album title suggests that some sort of happy ending come of it, instead it’s really the ‘madness behind the beauty’. His mind being in two places as he is searching for true love but is relentlessly dragged down by his addiction to everything that makes that an impossible task.

From the very beginning he recognises that he is a victim of his own lifestyle, to the point where his own mother is telling him ... read more

Could've and should've been stronger.

Definitely a good album with some of Abel’s best and most catchy songs (Starboy, Reminder, Rockin', I Feel It Coming), just a shame that almost all of them appear on the first third of the album. Definitely makes the album feel longer than it is as the songs seemingly get more and more basic as the album goes before picking up for the final 2 tracks. Besides that I thought the album concept was cool as he sees an artistic transformation from a RnB ... read more

An incredibly moving and soothing send off for Mac.

I didn’t really listen to much Mac apart from a few songs until this album so it obviously doesn’t impact me the way it would a long time fan, but it’s impossible to not feel immersed in the intense atmosphere of the album. This album brings a unique and indescribable feeling different to anything I’ve ever heard. It’s hard to pinpoint but the soothing production mixed with Mac’s somber vocals almost ... read more

Another beautiful album from Mac, but also another heartbreaking rollercoaster of a journey into his ever-lasting mental battle, only this time more harrowing. I say rollercoaster because at points on the album he sounds like he's progressing. On the intro he says although he would do anything for a way out of his head, he "was drowning" but now he's "swimming through stressful waters to relief". On the next track he states he's "keeping (his) head above ... read more

Another transitional album in Mac's career and overall sound.

I didn’t really know much about this album going in outside of Dang! And considering how damn strong Mac’s discography was up to this point I was excited for another great album, but unfortunately that didn’t quite come. It’s definitely not bad at all, but I think this is definitely Mac’s most 'surface level' album, and that sucks given the strong concept of the desire for everlasting love. I ... read more

Refreshing at points after how heavy Faces was.

Yet another really really strong project from Mac which is becoming a theme. This one is very different though. Being his first album under a major label you would think it would sound a lot more commercial and mainstream but with Mac making sure he had full creative control it sounds just like Mac would’ve wanted. Saying that, it was very different to his last few projects and a massive jump in mood. Although there is DEFINITELY spots of ... read more

One of the most unique and insanely introspective pieces of art ever.

Wow, wow, wow. What a damn experience and trip that was. 1000% one of the deepest and most meaningful pieces of music I’ve ever heard. To sum it up as quickly as possible, it was an EXPLORATION OF TRUTH. It was a 90 minute rollercoaster of a journey through the broken mind of Mac Miller in his rawest and most vulnerable state. This is by far the longest I’ve spent to finish an album (spent hours on Genius and ... read more

Mac takes another step up the music quality ladder.

Another massive artistic step for Mac. His artistic transformation in such a short span is crazy. A dude that was strictly making frat party rap 3 years ago is now making extremely deep and layered music about life’s challenges and what life means in general. It’s so cryptic and self admittedly open to interpretation that you could listen to the album 20 times and get 20 different ideas to what it means. The album title alone is ... read more

A shift in many ways for Mac and his career.

This is definitely the turning point in Mac’s career as he shifts from a frat-rapper to an artist that is able to effectively let people into his mind. This being a much more mature record than anything he had put out until this point, he is now able to portray his feelings about fame, money, drugs, and life in general now that he has experienced more and the 'famous' lifestyle isn’t as fresh as it was when he made Blue Slide Park. This ... read more

What was meant to be a huge moment in his career, instead it was one that brought him to his lowest.

A really sudden emotional leap from K.I.D.S and Best Day Ever to this. Those two projects are fun encapsulated and convey a message of always living life to the fullest and making everyday the 'best day ever'; but his debut album conveys a pretty different message. Speaking on the concept as a whole first, naming his debut album after a stop in Pittsburgh that he deeply connects to and ... read more

K.I.D.S' slightly less fun brother.

Another really really solid mixtape from Mac. Travelling along pretty much the same concept as K.I.D.S but from a slightly different perspective as being happy, working hard to get to where you want to be, and living everyday like it’s the ‘best day ever’ when you get there. A lot of the tracks on here do a good job of sticking to that concept which is one of the reasons why the project goes over so well. That being said, with almost ... read more