Live Laugh Love - Earl Sweatshirt: Review
Earl Sweatshirt really needs no introduction for hip-hop fans at this point. The Odd Future alum has transitioned his edgier, more provocative rap style into a much more earnest and human darkness as the years pass and collected heaps of critical acclaim every step of the way. I'll tip my hand and say that I got to catch the record early at a listening party Earl threw in LA. Because of that I went into my first proper listen already knowing that Earl recently became a father. As a result, both the sonic and thematic palettes have taken a turn for the brighter, but none of his unmistakable talent has faded in the transition.
That's how the album starts, with "gsw vs sac." It has this vibrant psychedelic instrumental that sets up the record's woozier sonic palette. It also concludes with a spoken word passage about introspecting and facing problems rather than running away from them, which feels perfectly aligned with the album's themes of fatherhood and maturity. Though it's often clear what Earl is rapping about in a big picture sense across the album, the songs are hardly thematic monoliths. These tracks wander aimlessly both conceptually and compositionally, so don't be surprised if a song breaks down its core formula entirely for seemingly no reason, or Earl drastically changes the song with some sharp-edged pop culture reference.
"FORGE" is this way with an attention-grabbing instrumental that cuts off in harsh fashion as backing instrumentation flashes in and out. It also features one of the more intense performances Earl serves up on the album. The sounds get even more confrontational on a track like "Crisco." It buries its vocals below this enveloping chorus sample that gets chopped up and laced as it goes on. The song addresses his transition to fatherhood more directly than others, but isn't ashamed to allude to his darker and more chaotic past.
For thematic highlights, look no further than the one-two punch of "INFATUATION" and 'Gamma." The former is an instant standout on the album with its fluttering piano instrumental and blown-out vocal samples. It's all in service of Earl's sharp lyrical references centered around settling into the normal parts of life using the metaphor of learning how to dance. "Gamma" features one of my favorite and one of the most telling lyrics on the album, "can't throw my whole life away standing in the shade." The track is essentially one two-minute verse where Earl stacks quips on top of quips while also managing to give himself some genuine advice for embracing the nicer and simpler things in his life and shedding his irrational fears. Finally, the closing track "exhaust" is the most forward Earl is about his feelings on the record. Not only does he embrace the ways fatherhood has changed him, he also gives himself flowers for persevering through the struggles he faced along the way.
There is a moment on the record in the middle where it gets a lot darker. "WELL DOWN!" features production from Navy Blue and has a much more brooding sonic presentation. Thankfully for Earl's mental health, however, it's told largely in the past tense. That leads into "Live," which has a memorable, tight looping beat from Blaek Noi$e. The first half sees Earl talking about how ready he is to leave some of the toxic people and behaviors of his past behind. But the second half has a straight-up beat switch where Earl slows to a dreary crawl as the entire song falls apart around him. Much like many of Earl's classic records, he knows just the time to dial it in and serve up a banger. "Static" sports an up-tempo flow and references to Steve Harvey and Vince Carter that feels like Earl dialing back the clock a full decade.
Other odds and ends on the record, like "Tourmaline," stand out in their own ways. It features an interesting sung refrain that manages to feel even more somber than much of the rapping despite being more optimistic than many other moments on the record. There's also "Heavy Metal," which is a lot more repetitive than most Earl songs. I wish the track was a little bit clearer thematically because I don't really mind the refrain, but it doesn't really get to be in service of anything.
On Live Laugh Love, Earl Sweatshirt is more mature than ever, but he hasn't lost his step. Even without the painful themes and brooding demeanor, his ear for experimental production and mind-bending lyricism stays true. As a result, he dishes out one of the most consistent, exciting, and interesting records of his entire career and does it while exploring themes relevant to an entirely new era of his life. It's an absolutely excellent listen. 8/10
For more great hip-hop, check out my review of JID's God Does Like Ugly
