Review: Brockhampton- "iridescence"

Brockhampton- iridescence
Stream the LP here.

Brockhampton are the best boyband since One Direction. Forming in 2015, these boys released their debut mixtape All-American Trash a year later, but didn’t really strike the heart of the music world until their Saturation trilogy last year. Normally, when you hear a group put out three full-length projects all within a six-month period, you’d be worried, but last year showed us there’s no reason to worry when it’s the Brockhampton boys. All three of these LPs manage to be their own separate entity made up of music both experimental and forward-thinking, yet also catchy and infectious. This, on top of their progressive message, is when they really hit their stride and connected with an audience around the world. They would soon be signed to RCA Records, where they would start working on their next project, PUPPY. However, things turned sour when allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled against member Ameer Vann. There was no room for this in Brockhampton. They kicked out an essential member of their project and indefinitely delayed the release of PUPPY. This was quite the obstacle to overcome, but following a very emotional return on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the group released three singles: “1999: WILDFIRE,” “1998: TRUMAN,” and “1997: DIANA.” These were all great, unique songs that showed Brockhampton could continue as a project, but there’s one thing: none of these songs appear on their brand new full-length. Who knows if these songs are planned for another project, but the way I see it is that they were just teasers of what to expect for the return of the world’s best boyband. After nine months, Brockhampton are reborn with a brand new studio project: iridescence.

Brockhampton sees themselves as very much a new form of their project, which gives them free reign to experiment more than on previous releases. If it’s to be compared to any of their past work, it’s to the very first Saturation. We get instrumental bangers like “NEW ORLEANS” and “J’OUVERT” as well as mellowed-out songs like “THUG LIFE” and “TONYA.” Then there are the more unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat tracks, making use of the increasingly popular tactic of the beat-switch. “WEIGHT” gets quite jumpy even as it maintains its softer approach; “VIVID” is predominantly aggressive. We also see the group sampling one of their own tracks, Saturation’s “BUMP,” as well as Beyonce’s “Dance for You” on the absolutely beautiful “HONEY.” And probably my favorite of the instrumentals on the project, “SAN MARCOS,” sticks with a country vibe and makes it work. iridescence is truly a rebirth.

One of Brockhampton’s biggest strengths has always been the variety each member brings to the table, as each have their own identifiable style. While an argument can be made that all these voices cohere better on the Saturation trilogy, each member still manages to put on display an obscene amount of talent on iridescence. Dom’s opening verse on “NEW ORLEANS” kicks the LP off, establishing an anchor to the past with his familiar technical flow, here and throughout the album. Similarly, Matt Champion provide traditional rapping with a bit more variety than Dom. Because of that, unfortunately, I feel like Matt doesn’t shine as much here as he has before. He has good verses on tracks like “VIVID,” but for the most part, feels a little pushed aside.  

Kevin Abstract, surprisingly, doesn’t seem to have too many verses on this project either. But of all the lyricists in the group, he seems to be the most willing to bare himself emotionally, and is able to express emote in striking waus. His verses in “WEIGHT” are top-notch, dealing with his anxiety over his failure as a friend, a member of Brockhampton, and a son. The track “SOMETHING ABOUT HIM” is entirely performed by Kevin and highlights his love for his boyfriend Jaden Walker. The song is absolutely adorable, and there’s an interesting effect over Kevin’s vocals--the group has experimented with autotune before and continue to do so, but this and other vocal effects used on the LP are welcomingly distinctive.

One of the things I looked forward to hearing on this LP was Bearface. He got three tracks to himself on the Saturation trilogy, but that wasn’t enough for me. So when I saw that he was more included on the singles, I took it as a hint that he was going to have a bigger role on this LP. And he definitely does. The great thing about his inclusion is just the change of pace from everyone else, as he is Brockhampton’s dedicated singer--that’s what he does and what he brings to the table. He was a highlight of the singles and continues to shine on iridescence, providing a lot of additional melody on “THUG LIFE,” “DISTRICT” and “FABRIC.” My favorite Bearface moment comes on “TONYA,” which he dominates from the beginning, setting the mood for the rest of the track.

But no two shine more on this LP than Merlyn Wood and Joba. These two have always been the most experimental members of the group, although Joba’s verses on this summer’s singles were lackluster. His verses were strictly about how successful the group has become since their inception, which didn’t feel right for him. All of that is made up for. One of his biggest highlights comes from “J’OUVERT,” where my boy here is straight up KILLING it with a verse that is just as hard lyrically as it is tonally. I don’t think I’ve heard him go this hard since the first song on the first Saturation, “HEAT.” Sampling Lavaman’s “Excuse me?” afterwards was exactly my reaction to how hard Joba goes. Later, he displays a more mellow, emotional side on “SAN MARCOS,” proving his worth to Brockhampton in his versatility. Lyrically, Joba shows that despite the levels of fame he bragged about on the singles, he is still struggling with his own personal issues--see  “DISTRICT,” and with its quick “Praise God, hallelujah! I’m still depressed” line. It’s the perfect contrast to those singles, retroactively lending those previous verses more weight.

Merlyn Wood has always been my favorite member. His flow has always been world-class and his voice fits with every instrumental he’s given. In the singles leading up to this project, especially on “1998: TRUMAN,” he quietly proved himself one of Brockhampton’s most outstanding members. iridescence underscores that point. He can go hard as balls on tracks like “WHERE THE CASH AT,” but isn’t afraid to get in his feelings on tracks like “TONYA.” All of these are performed with his signature deep register, but he frequently experiments with his flow and delivery to keep things fresh; he even messes around with some vocal effects, a common theme for every member across the record.

One of my only issues with iridescence is that some of the shorter tracks don’t do enough to warrant repeat listens. As much as I love “WHERE THE CASH AT,” at under two minutes, I can’t help but want more once it’s over. The same applies to “SOMETHING ABOUT HIM.” It’s an adorable song, but it’s a mere 90 seconds. I also don’t really feel anything towards the interlude, “LOOPHOLE,” which reminds me of the skits peppering the Saturation trilogy. For the most part, though, Brockhampton really hit it out of the ballpark. This also marks the start of their brand new trilogy, The Best Years of Our Lives, so I am very excited to see where this goes.

VERDICT: Despite a rough year, Brockhampton have shown they are very far from done with iridescence.

- Alex Brown