BROCKHAMPTON - The Family ALBUM REVIEW
Might as well review an album called The Family on Thanksgiving.
Well, happy Thanksgiving. At least on the day I’m writing this, it’s a happy Thanksgiving. Or a year from this post. It doesn’t matter, though, because it’s typically a time where you sit and argue about whatever comes to mind. There’s also food there too. I have no idea how to segue into the next part of this, so…The Family. BROCKHAMPTON, everyone’s favorite boy band, had slowly been falling apart for a couple years now and, as of today, the group is no more. There’s a lot of history there to unpack, but I’ll let you do that yourself if you want because there’s a *lot* of ground to cover there. Last week, the group’s final album titled The Family dropped. They also dropped a second album with it, TM, and if I’m being honest, there’s not a lot to talk about, other than how underwhelming it was, in my opinion. I have much more to say about The Family, though, so let’s not waste any time and get into it.
Right off the bat, this is a very odd album. Nearly all of the members are nowhere to be found, except for de-facto ringleader Kevin Abstract and a small appearance from Bearface. The chipmunk soul beat that opens the album is certainly surprising, but it feels off. Hell, the origin of the group was a post on a Kanye fan forum from Kevin, so sure, chipmunk soul. I fuck with it. Either way, I’m a big fan of the more experimental approach in the production, especially that jazzy opening to “Big Pussy.” A better way to explain the sound is it sounds exactly how it looks. There’s so much happening here on each relatively-short track (except for the outro, but we’ll get to that), and I absolutely loved it. However, the entire time I was listening felt bittersweet. Sure, it felt different than the other BROCKHAMPTON projects, but BROCKHAMPTON isn’t a thing anymore. This is Kevin. Granted, Kevin’s very talented and my personal favorite member, but it’s just him left in the group, holding down everything.
I guess that’s why I love this musically, but there’s a whole different thing that sets this on a new level: the personal reason. I came in a little late as a BROCKHAMPTON fan, between 2019’s Ginger and their last album, 2021’s ROADRUNNER. I had made some new friends and as my music taste began to expand, the group ended up being something I discovered through them. I hold BROCKHAMPTON, along with Kevin’s solo work, in high regard in my mind because of this friendship. During the first listen of this, I was with them, knowing that it was just Kevin being the only info going into it. When we got to the final track, titled “Brockhampton,” it broke all of us. The fact that this group and music that helped us become closer as friends was going away and most likely never coming back was devastating. It helps that “Brockhampton” is far and away the best track on the album, with Kevin recounting *everything* that happened with the band and wishing the other members farewell, ending on a heartbreaking sample about how hard it is to break up. Even now, knowing what’s coming at the end of the track, it’s a very difficult listen. That doesn’t make it bad, though.
I think every BROCKHAMPTON fan knew that the end was in sight, but even if The Family wasn’t what I expected from them, or Kevin in this instance, it’s still a bittersweet goodbye. I’m a giant fan of this musically and would’ve most likely been a fan of this from that aspect alone, but like the other projects, it’s elevated by the members of the group, even if all but one are absent. That’s what makes The Family special, that’s what made the group special, and that’s what makes this the end of an era. Thank you Dom McLennon, Merlyn Wood, Matt Champion, JOBA, Bearface, Jabari Manwa, Romil Hemnani, Kiko Merley, and most of all, Kevin Abstract. Thank you for everything.
10/10
Listen here
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
The Family is a Question Everything / RCA Records release.
Well, happy Thanksgiving. At least on the day I’m writing this, it’s a happy Thanksgiving. Or a year from this post. It doesn’t matter, though, because it’s typically a time where you sit and argue about whatever comes to mind. There’s also food there too. I have no idea how to segue into the next part of this, so…The Family. BROCKHAMPTON, everyone’s favorite boy band, had slowly been falling apart for a couple years now and, as of today, the group is no more. There’s a lot of history there to unpack, but I’ll let you do that yourself if you want because there’s a *lot* of ground to cover there. Last week, the group’s final album titled The Family dropped. They also dropped a second album with it, TM, and if I’m being honest, there’s not a lot to talk about, other than how underwhelming it was, in my opinion. I have much more to say about The Family, though, so let’s not waste any time and get into it.
Right off the bat, this is a very odd album. Nearly all of the members are nowhere to be found, except for de-facto ringleader Kevin Abstract and a small appearance from Bearface. The chipmunk soul beat that opens the album is certainly surprising, but it feels off. Hell, the origin of the group was a post on a Kanye fan forum from Kevin, so sure, chipmunk soul. I fuck with it. Either way, I’m a big fan of the more experimental approach in the production, especially that jazzy opening to “Big Pussy.” A better way to explain the sound is it sounds exactly how it looks. There’s so much happening here on each relatively-short track (except for the outro, but we’ll get to that), and I absolutely loved it. However, the entire time I was listening felt bittersweet. Sure, it felt different than the other BROCKHAMPTON projects, but BROCKHAMPTON isn’t a thing anymore. This is Kevin. Granted, Kevin’s very talented and my personal favorite member, but it’s just him left in the group, holding down everything.
I guess that’s why I love this musically, but there’s a whole different thing that sets this on a new level: the personal reason. I came in a little late as a BROCKHAMPTON fan, between 2019’s Ginger and their last album, 2021’s ROADRUNNER. I had made some new friends and as my music taste began to expand, the group ended up being something I discovered through them. I hold BROCKHAMPTON, along with Kevin’s solo work, in high regard in my mind because of this friendship. During the first listen of this, I was with them, knowing that it was just Kevin being the only info going into it. When we got to the final track, titled “Brockhampton,” it broke all of us. The fact that this group and music that helped us become closer as friends was going away and most likely never coming back was devastating. It helps that “Brockhampton” is far and away the best track on the album, with Kevin recounting *everything* that happened with the band and wishing the other members farewell, ending on a heartbreaking sample about how hard it is to break up. Even now, knowing what’s coming at the end of the track, it’s a very difficult listen. That doesn’t make it bad, though.
I think every BROCKHAMPTON fan knew that the end was in sight, but even if The Family wasn’t what I expected from them, or Kevin in this instance, it’s still a bittersweet goodbye. I’m a giant fan of this musically and would’ve most likely been a fan of this from that aspect alone, but like the other projects, it’s elevated by the members of the group, even if all but one are absent. That’s what makes The Family special, that’s what made the group special, and that’s what makes this the end of an era. Thank you Dom McLennon, Merlyn Wood, Matt Champion, JOBA, Bearface, Jabari Manwa, Romil Hemnani, Kiko Merley, and most of all, Kevin Abstract. Thank you for everything.
10/10
Listen here
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
The Family is a Question Everything / RCA Records release.
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