Made in only 3 weeks, the first album from LA-based, self-proclaimed “All-American Boyband”, Brockhampton, breaks down walls on genre conventions and what it means to be a boyband, all while making one of the best albums of the year.

De-facto leader and founder of Brockhampton, Kevin Abstract has been making waves since his first album, MTV1987, in 2014. Mixing R&B and hip-hop with an experimental edge, it was a sound he only improved on in his next release, ‘American Boyfriend’, a concept album (loosely based on himself) of a young suburban teenager coming to terms with his sexuality. Kevin was the only member I had known of previously, but listening to this, you’ll quickly get to know every MC in the group. Each member brings a unique personality and sound to the table, all while fitting the narrative of the group as a whole, which is no easy task considering the 15 members, ranging from producers (Jabari Manwa, Kiko Merely, Romil Hmnani) to singers/rappers (Bearface, Joba, Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood, Dom McLennon, Matt Champion) to even having an in-house photography/videography/web design team (HK, Ashlan Grey, Robert Ontenient) and their own management (Anish Ochani, Jon Nunes).

Due to the large and extremely talented roster of members, Brockhampton boasts an incredible variety of sounds on this album, with everything from smooth, chilled out R&B, to extremely aggressive, hard as nails hardcore hip-hop. Some may see this as a hindrance, as it could potentially ruin the cohesion of an album, but when listened to in full, all these sounds and ideas flow together stupidly well. For example, take the opening two tracks: First we have ‘Heat’, a ferociously gritty song, with cut-throat, boom-bap drums and a fuzzed out bassline, eventually erupting into a wall of noise and screaming guitar lines. On top is a great introduction to four of the main MC’s in the group: Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood, Dom McLennon and Matt Champion, each boasting a merciless flow of threatening brags, great wordplay and an endless stream of quotable bars. Joba (a singer and producer in the group) also comes through with a brutally screamed refrain, making for one of the most break-neck posse-cuts of the decade.

Straight after the insanity ends, we are segued into ‘Gold’, a nocturnal, R&B banger with one of the catchiest hooks on the whole project sung by Kevin Abstract. With a verse from every MC, it’s almost impossible to pick a favourite. Every member shines in every appearance they get, bringing their own unique personality and views, making for a neverending cypher of sticky flows and great lyricism. Joba’s chilling falsetto makes it’s first appearance here, resulting in one of the most hair-raising moments on the whole project. Again, the pop-culture references and wordplay shine here, although not as much as on the next cut, ‘Star’. A track of endless references to Popstars and Movie Stars, the three verses here show perfectly how focused and creative these MC’s can be, with lines such as: “I go Gunnar with the leather face, Bruce Campbell with the chains, Tobin Bell with the saw” ; “I just bought a new Wraith, Nic Cage with the face off, John Travolta when I take off” ; “Heath Ledger with some dreads, I just gave my n*gga head.”

A lot of experiments on this album go over beautifully, such as the song ‘Bank’, which starts with a chilled out, tropical sounding beat, under an autotuned refrain, but eventually builds up to a more menacing hook, repeated over and over by Dom and Kevin, making way for a chilling verse from Ameer over a buzzing bassline. The song ends with an infectiously hyped verse from Kevin and is then stripped back to the tropical ambiance at the start of the song. ‘Bump’ is another gritty banger, featuring a distorted and compressed beat under a slew of hyped up short verses about gangster life. However, every chorus sees the entire track abruptly cut away to a lone guitar line with Kevin singing about having found something to live for. Definitely one of the more odd tracks, but it comes through flawlessly.

The song ‘2Pac’ may only be just over a minute long, but is one of the most emotional points on the album, featuring a lone Ameer with a pitched up vocal over very innocent sounding synths, talking about his history with drugs, the death of his friends, religion and missing his mother. Another very emotional track on here is ‘Milk’, with verses talking about trying to become better versions of themselves and transitioning into adulthood. I also absolutely adore the song ‘Cash’, which talks of the hardships set upon certain groups in society, whether it be due to race, class, sexuality, etc. It also features one of my favourite verses from Merlyn, and so many quotable refrain’s: “Get money, big bands, simple bands” ; “There go that danger boy, danger boy” ; “Me against the world”.

With 17 tracks, there are too many highlights to name, including Joba’s hook in ‘Face’, the dreamy, lush instrumentation on ‘Swim’, the irresistible charm of songs like ‘Fake’ and ‘Boys’. Even the closer, which is the only song solely produced and performed by one member (Bearface) is chilling. An R&B jam with beautiful guitar lines and powerful lead vocals, the album couldn’t have ended better. The album also features three skits, bringing the groups web designer, Robert Ontenient to the forefront talking in Spanish. What may sound sort of silly on first listen, actually represents some of the main themes found throughout the album, such as depression, self-confidence, not knowing where you belong and a longing for friendship.

There is literally not a single low point on the entire album, the only gripe I could possibly think of is that I thought the hook on ‘Trip’ felt a little underwritten. Besides that, this project is near flawless. I couldn’t recommend it more, definitely a very strong contender for AOTY. (I also recommend listening at night).

{Also the group has announced a second album due out this month, which is insane, so please make sure to support them if you enjoyed Saturation <3}

Highlights: Heat, Gold, Boys, 2Pac, Fake, Bank, Bump, Cash, Milk, Face, Waste.

Written by Robert Cleaver.