Shamelessness rules SAINt JHN’s world. It’s a place devoid of inhibition, where overindulgence is as regular as breathing, and “ratchet” is a compliment of the highest order. Consider his maddeningly addictive single “I Heard You Got Too Litt Last Night,” a gleeful account of bad decisions (“One pill had her looking like Naomi/And two pills had her looking like my soulmate”) without any of the regret. When he sings the hook over wacky synths and a bit of boom, it’s more a pleased taunt than an accusation. On the contrary, by his own measure, “it was a vibe.”

SAINt JHN grew up between the Caribbean nation of Guyana and New York, and got his feet wet in the music industry writing songs for Usher, Jidenna and Hoodie Allen before deciding he no longer wanted to “live [his] life through other people’s voices.” Now, he’s using his own to showcase himself as an artist with as much potential as he has bad habits. His full-length debut, Collection 1, unfolds like one of the wild nights he loves singing about, offering a contrasting portrait of material highs and emotional lows along the way. When “I Heard” finally hits at the end of the album, it’s a dazed flashback to all the debauchery that’s come before.

To listen to Collection 1 is to inhabit, however briefly, the highly Instagrammable lives of the pretty ones. There’s more alcohol and drugs than anyone could ever need, but underneath the haute fashion and the partying-based lifestyle is a bed of insecurity and hurt. It’s not necessarily new ground, but SAINt JHN’s overly-proud air does a good job of convincing listeners that it’s all flex and fun...until it isn’t. For every turned-up bender, the depression of “Some Nights” is trailing not far behind. The song, which wears a major Kid Cudi influence on its sleeve, is the album’s most introspective. “Some nights I kill myself just so I can feel like I’m so alive,” he moans: Heartbreak is the reason for this particular trip to the bar or club. The vapory “Reflex,” meanwhile, captures both moods in one swoop. It’s all “bad bitches,” “real niggas” and foreigns, almost but not quite hiding lines like “picture me rolling something up to chase the demons.” These brief flashes pull the bravado down to earth, grounding the album in something beyond superficial vice.

Stylistically, SAINt JHN fits well within the current pop landscape, with his seamless shifts between rapping (“Traci Lords”), singing (“Selfish”), and sing-rapping (“3 Below”). He borrows from everywhere: “God Bless The Ratchets” sounds like it could’ve been pulled from a SoundCloud trending list, while “Brilliant Bitch” is the sort of trap-y R&B song that rules more mainstream charts. With his industry experience in tow, it’s clear he knows his way around a song. His hooks are sticky, and the production choices are primed for ubiquity. “Selfish,” in particular, is a display of undeniable pop prowess, with its arena-ready synths, island-flavored garnishes, and wispy vocals lamenting an ill-fated romance (“I wish we were both somebody else/so you wouldn’t be somebody else’s”).

Taken as a whole, Collection 1 plays out like a series of tweets, going so far as to even adopt the lingo social media has helped popularize (“lit,” “issa vibe”). SAINt JHN is just charismatic enough to pull it off. He makes a balancing act of self-examination and self-destruction, and still emerges largely unapologetic for the choices he’s made. It makes for an enchanting soundtrack for the most reckless of nights and the morning after.