Saturation Review
An Album by BROCKHAMPTON
Brockhampton is a new hip hop and alternative band that includes members like Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Dom McLennon, Merlyn Wood, Matt Champion, and Joba. They have come out with a mixtape called All-American Trash. I thought this tape was pretty good for a debut tape, and it explains why Saturation is so full of bangers and excellent songs.
The album starts off with two of their pre-released singles, Heat, and Gold. These two tracks sound original and they’re very entertaining to listen to. Heat is an absolute banger and rappers Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood, and Don McLennon sound very hungry and angry on this track. Gold is a catchy song with an earworm hook by Kevin Abstract and the rest of the group bring very smooth verses that go along with the beat.
The songs, and their lyrics, are all very relatable. Whether if the song is about love, getting money, chasing dreams, or depression, this album can relate to a range of audiences.
Throughout the album Kevin Abstract brings very nice hooks in each song he’s in. He’s a good rapper and a pretty good singer. Kevin seems to be the sort of “leader” of the band, and the mastermind behind their work.
Don McLennon and Ameer Vann are the main MC’s of this group and this project, and they bring verses that are very well written, are full of wordplay and similes, and they’re overall very clever rappers. A couple of my favorite songs they’re in are Heat, Star, and Bump.
Matt Champion and Merlyn Wood are two other rappers in the group and they bring more artistry and personality to the songs they’re in. They don’t have as much input or appearances as Don and Ameer, but the group wouldn’t be complete without them. Merlyn is super hype and he has a unique and bombastic style that is unmistakeable. Matt is also great and has a nice verse on the song Gold.
Joba has even smaller of an appearance on this project, and is mainly in songs for Intros, Bridges, and Outros. So, he sort of transitions the other artists and brings a little more flavor to some of the songs. I mainly like his performance in Heat, it’s very aggressive and in your face.
I like how dynamic this album is, and how dynamic the members of Brockhampton are throughout this project. They change their writing style up, they change their vocals and vocal effects, and there are hype tracks and laid back tracks in this album.
One thing I’m not a fan of is how some of the hooks on this album are a little too long and don’t need to be. Like on the songs Gold, and Boys. Kevin should’ve cut some of his hooks a little shorter, they’re good hooks don’t get me wrong, but I don’t need too much of them.
Saturation is a great album. Brockhampton definitely has a lot of potential as a band, and they can do many things with their music that they haven’t done yet. I can’t wait for Saturation 2, and I’m going to keep listening to this record until they come out with more music.
Album Grade: 8.5/10