The record showcases collaborators old and new, while centering around more personal subjects. The lyrics are backed by more modern production with a bigger serving of singing than on previous projects.
The strategy of beginning both the marketing and the album with "This Again" was something I didn't like at first. For the singles Merkules usually leads with something more up beat or aggressive. After absorbing the rest of the album however, this song started to grow on me. The way the song is structured is indignant of the rest of the album with its even blend of singing and rapping. Though this song lands somewhere in the middle for me, it's a great indicator of what the rest of the album sounds like.
Track two "Language" boast some cockier lyrics with another well mixed hook. The Mason Rex & Smurv produced track starts with some stretched vocal samples before the hook enters and the drums drop. The first half of the song has some of my favourite writing on the record. Its a good combo of punchline and storytelling with quotables like "I know it sounds like I'm arrogant as fuck/but I do it for the times we could barely get a buck." Definitely an easy song to like.
"Micheal Jordan" really hasn't been my thing since I first heard it. The beat Marco brings is good enough but the vocals are where I start to cringe. Merkules brings one of his simplest verses on the record but where Stevie Ross comes in is where I just can't take it. Ross can usually sing pretty well without any software but this verse is just so drenched in reverb and whatever else. It's just too artificial and syrupy. I tend to move onto a different song.
We press on with track four "Work". Produced by Nigel Childs. The songs got one of my favourite drum patterns with the way they shuffle along in tandem with the keys. I'm not crazy about the hook though. We do however, get some incredible double time throughout the first and second verse. It's an alright song. We're almost at my favourites.
"Always" lands a bit in the middle for me too. I like the angle Merk chooses here in comparison to his previous love songs. He tackles this one from the perspective of him asking to be taken back after he's been dumped. It fits the self analyzing theme with him examining how he used to treat his girlfriend. I didn't care for the first couple of bars and the beat I'm not particularly fond of either. I found last years "Witcha" to be a bit more dynamic.
Up next is "Living Legends" featuring Project Pat of Three Six Mafia is a pretty solid one. I dig the piano the songs kicks off with. Merkules first couple of bars are drum-less and it really helps snap your attention towards the music early. The best drop and enthusiastic drums are pretty bouncy too and its blended with some solid double time from both MCs.
The album starts getting a lot stronger around the second act with "Man In The Mirror" featuring Evil Ebenezer. Stuey Kubricks instrumental really compliments the dynamic flow Merkules chooses here. Evil brings a great hook but it's the introspective angle Merk runs with that keeps bringing me back to this song. Themes like regret, and anxiety are broken down pretty thoroughly while Merk showcases some of his better singing across the bridges.
An easy favourite of mine has to be "I Swear" with production from C-Lance and Aaron Hiltz. It's one of the best songs for singing on here. His voice has more of a pulse than on earlier songs. You can feel him really reaching for different pitches and all his lines are timed to different beat drops. Subject wise it's not the deepest song but, it's definitely one of the catchiest. And shit man sometimes that's all you need.
"On My Own" is another great banger. It's my favourite of three Marco beats. The quick hi hats and claps keep pace with Merkules' braggadocios flow. The hook is simple to belt out in the car too so there's that. It's just such a catchy and ignorant anthem I'd love to see this performed. It's a good glimpse back at some of his earlier songs like last years "Bawlz" or 2015's "Scum Bag" with the way Merkules just hits you with one punchline after another.
I was underwhelmed with the song "Right Now" Caspian tends to work with Merkules pretty well but, since "Hit 'Em Kill 'Em Shoot 'Em Dead" from last year came out, the bar has been pretty high. There's not a whole lot in these verses that feels new or fresh from the two either. I feel like their joint last year just exceeds this one in every way. It's more generic production wise and the lyrics about popping bottles and driving foreigns tend to bore me away from this one.
"Moment" was the third single and a huge hit for me. The song shares a lot with "Man In The Mirror" from its melodic trap beat to it's themes. While "Man In The Mirror" hinted at an epiphany and Merkules willingness to change, "Moment" tackles these feelings with pity and denial. His lyrics are channeling his detachment and depression with brutal honesty. The arrangement from C-Lance and Aaron Hiltz is also one of the better scores on the whole album. There's just one line after another referencing isolation and tragedy with what I think is one of the best hooks of his career.
"Catch A Vibe" is a great venture too. I like the mellow beat Marco brings and the R&B inspired vocals on the hook is pretty chill. It's a great song to bump in the evening or on that last smoke of the night. Like "Moment" or "I Swear" it's one of the better blends of singing and melodic trap on the album.
Another one of my favourites is "Survival Of The Fittest" with Jelly Roll. I like the Kato influence and the way the drums cut out towards the end of each verse. The two MCs change their flow before the hook drops in and they both kill it with something different. And another great hook too.
"Fuck The World" is pretty average to me. From the hammy chorus to its overly solemn guitar. The redeeming factor is there's a pretty hard snare on here and its one of the few "boom bap" sounds on the album. I like the lyrics and his delivery but it's almost repetitive at this point. By the penultimate song we've heard more than enough gloom. I don't hate it but it doesn't add a whole lot to the subjects that were covered better by earlier songs.
We finish off with with a pretty powerful banger and the second promotional single "Fuk Is U Sayin". It's beat is pretty cloudy and bass-y with EDM build ups throughout the hooks and verses. Plenty of fade outs and fade ins while Merkules slays any doubters with his rhymes. It's one of the more quotable offerings with lines like "And I don't know none of your songs, I don't like NONE of these rappers." Definitely a song we need in set lists. It's a pretty necessary song to end on considering the dark and exploratory territory we've just journeyed through.
I think my biggest critique about this record going in was how closely it followed Trust Your Gut, not only in its ambitious release date but also the return of generally the same producers and features. A lot of the returning guests give more lackluster contributions while the returning producers excel at making a more modern trap background for Merkules' lyrics. When the lyrics are bad, beat is good and vice versa. There's a few songs that fade into the background of the album while others land among the best songs of his career. It's more melodic and reflective than past Merkules projects and I can see that being a turn off from the fans who want pure bangers but, for me it's pretty solid.
Pros: Merkules ventures into more personal themes with an even blend of rapping and singing. I think he really sings better on this album than he has before. Our producers come with their share of bangers and the features are for the most part solid. Even with the plethora of melodies and somber tracks there's still a fine selection of more surface level, aggressive cuts. The songs are also getting longer with a good handful cuts around the 4 minute mark. The extra couple of tracks goes along way too with the whole record clocking in at 51 minutes.
Cons: Given this is a rap record some of our singing is only reaching a certain threshold. There's a few painful instances where the reverb and the editing gets too slimey for me. The cloudy trap instrumentals that make up the bulk of the score here are not always distinct from one another. I feel like the sound is almost too consistent to the point where some songs become forgettable. The returning features were hit and miss for me too.
