GINGER - Brockhampton: Review
is a Los Angeles via Austin, Texas based rap group and self-proclaimed boy band who rose to prominence in 2017 one the back of three universally acclaimed records in the Saturation trilogy. Over the first half of 2018 the band quietly grew their profile while controversially losing one of their most notable members to sexual assault allegations, before dropping their chart topping major label debut iridescence last year. After marquee member Kevin Abstract dropped his third solo album earlier this year the group geared up for their 6th record in just four years.
Review By Lavender:
If clout means anything in the digital age I can at least affirm one thing, I've been with Brockhampton since day 1. I reviewed their first mixtape All-American Trash as well as Kevin Abstract's American Boyfriend at the end of 2016 and when they hit the ground running in 2017 I was along for the ride. Saturation 1 and Saturation 2 both landed in my top 10 albums of 2017, an extraordinary feat for a group so young but their sheer creativity and the consistency of their execution was unrelenting and they were a runaway for Artist Of The Year in 2017. Since those two incredible records they released two solid, but lesser projects in Saturation 3 and iridescence that had some brilliant moments but it was in the deep cuts that these two records failed to please as consistently as the first two. These worries continued with me as I found the first two singles from Ginger to be underwhelming, but after the final two singles really blew me away I found myself in a place where I could get very excited about the record, and I'm glad I did because it is unequivocally excellent.
Aside from a lull in the middle of the tracklist this things gets off to a blazing hot start and wraps it up in another run of great tunes. The opening track was the fourth single which I enjoyed quite a bit No Halo. The song is a personal and lowkey ballad with groups vocals and singing contributions from a number of collaborators. The chorus refrain is simple but incredibly effective as the plucked acoustic guitar working into the instrumentation gives it a warm and emotional punch. One of the highlights for me is a fantastic verse from Dom in the second half that helps wrap up the songs emotional themes and reminds me of his incredible contribution to Bleach.
The next song up is Sugar which falls in a long line of indie and hip hop crossovers from the band. The track is buttery smooth and features a sugary sweet auto-tuned hook from Ryan Beatty that is quintessential Brockhampton. Given just how infectiously catchy the song is I could see this track being another big hit for the band especially after some heartfelt performances from Kevin and Bearface make the second half of the song a gorgeous breeze. Boy Bye was the third single and completely changed my outlook for this era of the bands career. The track is a tropical banger with one killer verse after another and one of the best beats I have ever heard the Brockhampton boys rapping over to date. Dom, Matt and Kevin each give totally standout verses that I adore before Bearface and Joba lead the song out with a more sung approach that proves the track to be a brilliant group effort that shows the sheer power of the groups collaboration.
The next track is one of the moments that absolutely had my jaw dropping as you can tell right away from the first vocal that this isn't a song performed by any regular Brockhampton features. Heaven Belongs To You is a short but impactful Slowthai interlude of all things as not only is Slowthai having an already legendary 2019 but now its gotten even better as he shows up to drop a great verse out of nowhere here. This track also transitions amazingly into the next song St. Percy which features a dynamic and hard-hitting beat and some icy cold verses from artists who aren't usually accustomed to being so cut-throat. Kevin's verse at the beginning of the song stands out to be as he manages to emote so much with such a reserved sound that totally blows me away. The most shocking moment on the track is when Bearface drops in to provide a killer rap verse that is so wonderfully out of character yet perfectly executed.
While the middle of the record does feature my favorite song of the bunch it does contain all three of the tracks that I have some issues with. If You Pray Right was the second single and while it was an improvement over the first I still don't think the song is perfect. Even when I can look past some of the clunky horns when in the context of the album as one of the longer tracks here it could definitely use its time better. Matt Champion provides the the individual highlight for me with a short but catchy verse that sounds catchy enough to be a hook. Joba's verse is the one that I would prefer be cut from the track as the cartoonish demeanor and corny lyrics stand out really badly compared to the rest of the track and the complete lack of flow makes it a bit of a difficult listen. Once again I'll say what I have continued to say about Kevin's solo work and the last two Brockhampton albums where there are some catchy moments on the hook here, but the hook itself goes on for WAY too long and slows so much of the momentum down as it drags the track every time the chorus comes back in.
Thankfully I get to take a break from my criticisms to speak on the albums next stroke of sheer brilliance, the song Dearly Departed. This song wowed me as thoroughly as any Brockhampton song to date as Kevin and Matt show up and drop heart-poundingly emotional verses one after another to open the song. The performances are fittingly brilliant and there are a number of incredible personal and intimate lyrical moments as they wear their hearts on their sleeves more brutally than ever before. The moment that made me pause the record and lay down to think about everything I thought I knew was when Dom went impossibly hard on his verse as the closer. While Dom has never been them most animated or popular member of the group he proves on this song as he so frequently does that he is the most technically proficient of the group and is capable of dropping absolutely brilliant verses like this one.
For a hard switch-up the next track is I Been Born Again which sounds horribly awkward and out of place following-up Dom's emotional performance and literal mic drop on the last track. I didn't love this song as a single and after hearing the record in its entirety it's clear that this is by far the weakest moment. The various members cannot seem to agree on what energy they are going for as they approach this track making it feel like more of a decent cypher than an actual song. Once again I have to call out Joba whose verse I absolutely can't stand with the uncomfortable pitched down vocals and the stop and start nature of his verse. I know everyone said this when the song first dropped but it is still true here, Matt's short and catchy verse at the end of the song should have really been the hook as this tracks lack of structure is the final nail in its coffin.
Ginger was a song I was very interested in as Brockhamton has never made a title-track before until this, but the song isn't my favorite. Once again Kevin provides a hook that is WAY too long and loses all its momentum by the end of the refrain. The beat is very simple and cute which makes Matt Champion specifically sound weirdly out of place as he approaches the song with his trademark style and it just seems like a weird mash-up. Thankfully the second half of the song is much better and after not liking Bearface's performance at first I did a total 180 and it became my favorite moment on the song, as hit pitched up vocals meet with his natural singing voice and harmonize it makes for an absolutely gorgeous moment that I can't stop thinking about and ends the song on a much better note than it began with.
After these few songs I have some nitpicks with the album hits the ground running right at the end and thrills with its last few songs. Big Boy is a smooth and intimate song with a gorgeous understated instrumental that I really enjoy. Joba is absolutely PERFECT on the track and delivers on the exact kind of performance that I love hearing from him, completely taking control of the song with raw emotion. Bearface has the last verse and once again delivers a very good moment combining his rapping and singing into a perfect outro that plays on his talents. One of the most interesting things on Ginger is seeing Bearface developing his mic chemistry and seriously delivering some bars at numerous points on the album, on top of his already brilliant singing, way to go Ciaran.
Love Me For Life doesn't have the fieriest start from Kevin but it really kicks off after this with a killer beat that features some super high pitches keys sounding so authentic hovering over everything in the mix. Joba is much more comfortable and drops a killer flow on the track as well as flexing his singing in a warm and confident way that I really enjoy. Merlyn and Bearface complete the songs excellent second half especially Bearface's absolutely gorgeous bridge at the tail end which allows the beat to re-introduce and fade out for yet another stunning moment.
The closing track is one that I would have definitely had some concerns with in concept, but in execution it is one of my favorite moments on the entire record. Victor Roberts is the closing track and features a verse from its titular man. Brockhampton really found somebody special here as the more I read about and watch the guy the more he seems like an amazing and talented dude. His absolutely killer verse speaks for itself with tight flows he is comfortable switching up with rapid fire execution, and some amazing personal and impassioned lyrics on top of this. As if this wasn't enough Ryan Beatty and Bearface each do some of their most immaculate and brilliant singing in the second half of this track re-purposing its stark piano instrumental for a weaving and impassioned duet that leaves the record on an absolutely stunning final moment.
Ginger is the best Brockhampton record since Saturation 2 and while that may not sound like much to a casual fan those that remember when the trilogy was dropping remember how groundbreaking and brilliant the boys were that summer. Ginger follows in the footsteps of those albums as it allows each of it's talented and unique members to engage with the audience in ways that show off their skills over a number of artistic themes and musical styles. Not only does it execute incredibly consistently but it tackles such a wide number of sounds that there is clearly a fire of creativity once again burning with the boys and Ginger sounds like their memoirs. The album is a blend of meticulous calculation with emotionally potent improvisation that sounds like music from the future, yet still so indebted to the past, and its in the brilliant dichotomy that the group released their most mature album to date and found beauty in chaos. 9.5/10
