SATURATION

SATURATION

BROCKHAMPTON’s first installment to the Saturation trilogy is one of many tales as each member pours out their heart and soul on each song on this tracklist of 17 songs that each have their own vibe and tone. Brockhampton is a self-proclaimed boy-band that currently consisting of many members who each play an integral role in the band. Such members include Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood, Jabari Manwa, Joba, Bearface, Romil Hemnani, Kiko Merley, Dom Mclennon, and others. They consider everyone who goes into making the band a reality a member instead of traditionally only considering the people on vocals to be the members, as Brockhampton is made up of artists, designers, producers, and directors. Upon my first listen to this album, I was drawn into the contrasting flows and feelings that each member delivers. Ameer Vann explores his past, and that of his history with the selling of narcotics and the life he led as a drug dealer. Kevin openly expresses his homosexuality as he felt caged all his life, primarily because of the beliefs of his parents and family who are very religious mormons according to an interview with Viceland. The album functions as a platform where they can show listeners that it doesn’t matter what you came from, the color of your skin, your sexuality, or the choices that you’ve made, because music is about self-expression. And, to do that, you have to be completely open with yourself and feel comfortable with the art that you make. Songs that define this album are “GOLD,” “STAR,” “HEAT,” “FAKE,” “BUMP,” “MILK,” and “BANK.” The first song to the album, “HEAT,” has a hard-hitting and heavy instrumental that has an aggressive tone, whereas songs like “GOLD” have more of a pop feel to them, with a catchy hook delivered by Kevin. Songs like “STAR” are clever and catchy as Dom, Kevin, and Ameer all delivers verses that include the names of famous movie stars and many popular culture references. Another can be said for the band is the music videos that are often times shot in the their own neighborhood, and maximize the space in the best manner. The band also portrays a theme of unity in their live performances when they all wear bright colored jumpsuits and paint themselves blue to illustrate this. The ending to the album, “WASTE,” features a melodic guitar riff by Bearface with lyrics that deliver a pop feel and unlike the rest of the album that shows the versatility of the group. Overall, if you wanna hear something that is different from the hip-hop scene , this album stands out. It is definitely something you can jam out to in your car as you sit in the line of traffic leaving the poorly designed parking lot of KHS,and get cut off by your peers.