Kevin Abstract, a former member of the hip hop collective BROCKHAMPTON, has been making music independently since 2016 and has had 3 label records, with some bigger tracks such as the song “Peach” from his 2019 album “ARIZONA BABY.” In early June he began teasing a new project with the name “Blush”. Following this announcement he then released a single with artist Dominic Fike titled “Geezer,” a fun energetic track that features both of their unique vocals and production techniques. The track was noticed on social media and began to get traction. On June 27 he released the album onto all streaming platforms.
Upon first listening to this track I immediately noticed the production. It combines notes of acoustic instrumentals along with flowy synth melodies and catchy drum-lines. This album features larger artists such as Dominic Fike, Danny Brown, and JPEGMAFIA, but also showcases a large selection of smaller artists that bring their own flows and styles to the album. This album is an homage to Houston and many of the artists that are featured are from there.
While listening through the songs there are mixes of slow melodic singing and smooth rap flows and occasional upbeat songs with harder verses and heavy 808s. I want to talk about a few of the songs that enthralled me the most.
One song that stood out to me was “Yoko One.” This song features artists Love Spells and Makana XO. This song has a smooth piano loop accompanied by soft and melodic singing for the intro. Kevin begins his verse with a memorable line: “Whats a classic without a b-side, what’s the beatles without yoko? I don’t wanna know.” This song has an addicting melody and lyrics that talk about his struggles with a lover and how she is trying to leave him. The song switches aesthetics near the end and dives into deep electric guitar and quiet vocals coming together to create an incredible track.
Another outstanding track is the song “Maroon.” This song starts with some bouncy guitar production, followed by artist Dominic Fike as he comes in with a unique tone and fast flow talking about his upcoming. The way he sings is almost as if he is having a conversation. After a memorable chorus, Dominic comes back with his fast flowing vocals to create a fun and enthralling listen.
The final song I want to talk about is the second to last track “Abandon me.” This song features vocals from the artist Quadeca and is a slow and sentimental song that brings beautiful vocals and powerful melodic piano and synths, creating a song about a man questioning why someone won’t abandon him like everyone else. Although this song is second to last it really brings the album together as a whole.
In summary this album was an engaging listening experience with diversity in its vocals and production. All together I give this album a 8.5/10
