Musical collective and self-identified boyband BROCKHAMPTON released their seventh studio album on Friday titled “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE.”
Kevin Abstract, BROCKHAMPTON founder, tweeted on March 21 that the band will release two more albums this year and end their run as a group.
The album speaks to the feeling of a final destination.
Their material may be getting tiresome and slightly corny to some, but this new album demonstrates the group’s talent and how each member is ready for a new path.
The group is no stranger to establishing a theme or “era” with every album.
The 2017 “Saturation” trilogy established the group’s core identity and ideals while showcasing their influences.
Their fifth album in 2018 titled “Iridescence” took a much more distinctive and industrial concept in tone and production.
The 2019 album “Ginger” was a comeback where the group revealed their new identity focused more on spirituality and vulnerability.
Their newest album is 49 minutes long and contains 14 songs, but serves as the group’s weakest body of work as far in terms of concept and rollout.
“ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE” fails to establish a core aesthetic, with most songs tackling a different sense of style with no sense of unification.
This is the group’s most feature-packed album with nine features, though some seem unnecessary.
Rapper JPEGMAFIA delivers smooth bars on the laid-back track “CHAIN ON” while in contrast, rapper Danny Brown’s aggressive energy matches the chaotic beat on the album’s intro song “BUZZCUT.” While these two fit perfectly within both song’s ambiance, other features feel out of place or don’t leave much of a positive impression.
Some examples include rapper A$AP Rocky’s short verse on “BANKROLL” or Shawn Mendes’ contribution to the chorus in “COUNT ON ME.”
Someone could’ve told me prior to listening to this album that Shawn Mendes is featured and I could never tell them which song.
Mendes is accompanied by Ryan Beatty and BROCKHAMPTON vocalist Bearface, but the three
singers’ vocals just don’t harmonize well or elevate the song.
This album demonstrates the highs and very little lows the group has built for their foundation. Though a lot of the beats are accompanied by guest producers, BROCKHAMPTON’s core members including their producer Jabari Manwa, still stand out in his contributions to tracks with captivating beats such as “I’LL TAKE YOU ON” and “WINDOWS.”
Despite the production lacking the group’s typical flair, each member stands out respectively with group member Joba absolutely shining the brightest on this album.
After his father’s recent passing, he spends a majority of his appearances on the album depicting the event and conveying his trauma.
Joba stands out with visceral poetry highlighting his father’s suicide through lines about the hammer of a gun and how his father will live forever in stories he’ll pass down to his grandchildren and their grandchildren.
“THE LIGHT’’ tells a gruesome scene of the singer walking into the room where his father took his life.
Lyrics including “Think I always will be haunted by the image / of a bloody backdrop, skull fragments in the ceilin’ / felt your presence in the room, heard my mother squealin’” paints a gruesome but very real image.
Track 12, “DEAR LORD,” sung by Bearface, acts as a group prayer to send off their bandmate’s beloved father. “THE LIGHT PT. II” concludes the album with Joba writing encouraging words.
“The past does not define you / the light is worth the wait” Joba sings, indicating a positive take away and moving past this traumatic experience.
Moments like these, along with strong lyrics by group members Dom McLennon on “WHEN I BALL” demonstrate a sense of joy and optimism as the group nears their end. Each member seems ready to ride the journey to a
positive conclusion.
Despite some impressive individual songs, “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE” fails to establish a core aesthetic that ties the album together. The album exemplifies that the members of the group perform their best individually, since the group’s synergy just
isn’t present.
