Grade: D-
I was a massive fan of BROCKHAMPTON’s famed SATURATION trilogy and all the singles that came with those releases. You could see the progression of their success with each passing music video and mini-documentary. It was an exciting scene to follow in real-time, and it all culminated with what I believe is their greatest offering ever, SATURATION III. Tracks like the gorgeous and sprawling “BLEACH” and “RENTAL” felt so deeply unique and quotable, showcasing each member as a distinct voice. We also got wild screeds like “BOOGIE”, which came equipped with a properly budgeted music video.
After simultaneously signing to RCA and dropping their second most prominent member Amir over some questionable personal behavior, they dropped ‘iridescence’ and ‘GINGER’ which certainly have their moments, but see a band struggling to continue without an important piece. While they were well received critically and commercially, I couldn’t help but like them much less than the original trilogy.
These are being marketed as the group’s final two projects, thank god. They should’ve never signed that six album deal. These last two are such cynical, rushed messes and are even acknowledged as such many times in the lyrics. The Family functions as a Kevin Abstract solo album, drifting between acid gospel, guitar autotune balladry and jazz rap with plenty of BH drama abound. It gives me chills in a sense, but that barely distracts from the unfinished nature of these tracks. “Big Pussy” is cool though.
If you don’t care about the lore of this group, The Family is a confusing waste of time. TM doesn’t address the first album at all and its generic production leaves the group off on a really disappointing note, it has absolutely no highlights and sees the boys going through the motions to pump out another 35 minutes of contract obligatory music. A once promising group really went out sad and cringe on this one, I’m sorry to report.
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