'GINGER' by BROCKHAMPTON ALBUM REVIEW

Released: 23rd of August

Tracklist:

1. NO HALO

2. SUGAR

3. BOY BYE

4. HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU

5. ST. PERCY

6. IF YOU PRAY RIGHT

7. DEARLY DEPARTED

8. I BEEN BORN AGAIN

9. GINGER

10. BIG BOY

11. LOVE ME FOR LIFE

12. VICTOR ROBERTS

Due to timezones I was expecting the album to drop at midnight LA time which I estimated to be around 7 am here. So when I opened spotify to search Deb Never and got a pop up informing me of 'BROCKHAMPTON's new album GINGER' I squealed and immediately resigned to listen to the whole thing in full despite it being 1:30 am.

I also tweeted some of my reactions to the songs so I will be including those in with my review. Starting with:

"AHHHH I OPENED SPOTIFY AND GINGER IS ON THERE I SQUEALED BC ITS 1 AM AND I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD BE ABLE TO LISTEN UNTIL 7 *SOBBING EMOJI* *HEART EYES EMOJI*"

and ending with ...

"What. An. Album."

"This album has been out less than 24 hours and I've already made fan art and listened to it on repeat at least 5 times."

NO HALO

"I fell in love with this song on the first listen."

This song is my favourite song of the album. I highly anticipated this song after hearing a snippet released on their instagram story. I instantly fell in love with Deb Never's voice and the chill vibes. I knew from that one 10 second clip that this song would definitely be my style.

Boy was I right. This song isn't just my favourite on the album, it's one of my favourite songs by brockhampton or by anyone for that matter.

While I always thoroughly enjoy bh songs that get me hyped up - I tend to fall in love with the more chill, laid back songs for example some of my favourite Brockhampton songs are BLEACH, MILK and TONYA.

NO HALO is one of those songs, I am so utterly in love with the atmosphere this song creates.

As always I am in awe of Dom McLennon's genius. I'm newly in awe of his verse on NO HALO:

"Depression put me in places where I'm stuck in the seams. They sealed my mouth and said the only way to breathe is to scream. Pop the stitches from society and fall to my knees. The machines weavin our fate are gettin harder to please. But I believe to an extreme. ( That we all can find a way)"

There is a running theme of textiles with 'seams' 'stitches' and 'weaving' all while having such a cadence to the words and talking about the pressures of society and the struggles of mental health. I just shook my head while reading the lyrics at how he is able to write and perform such works of art time and time again.

SUGAR

"OMFG WHEN I HEARD THE REWIND NOISE IN SUGAR I LEGIT NEARLY CRIED"

SUGAR is another song with chill vibes. I absolutely love the rewind noise that is such a throwback to the Saturation albums. Bearface really makes this song for me. Any song is just instantly elevated by Ciaran's voice. I also really like the pauses in the track during Matt's verse it always sticks out to me whenever I listen to this track.

Kevin reminded me of his line in BLEACH "I forgot my passport, for sure, all for a pretty sky."

"With my legs up on the dashboard. Only thing in my pocket is my passport.

I love the image this creates, a road trip with someone you love, with no worries. Leaving everything but your passport behind.

It is actually very similar to what BLEACH makes me picture, a road trip or driving in a car with the windows down. Not unlike the clip in the video for NO HALO of Matt, Deb and Merlyn in the back of the car.

I love the live version I linked above I like being able to hear Ryan Beatty and Bearface's voice better than on the studio version.

BOY BYE

This song SOUNDS like a Brockhampton song. It has their distinctive sound through and through. The melody is so iconic and will definitely get stuck in your head.

I remember when it was released everyone said it was their favourite song so far. At that point I still maintained that IF YOU PRAY RIGHT was my favourite single. However BOY BYE grew on me and soon overtook IF YOU PRAY RIGHT. It is so easy to get in your head and the rap is supreme from everyone.

The verse that gets in my head the most at the moment is Matt and Merlyn's:

"My bitch, she so pretty, pretty. I get cash like really really. Tell the DJ, man, he ain't slick. 'Cause he ain't playin hits, he silly, silly."

This verse, 'BOY BYE', the melody, and JOBA singing 'oooooh beautiful and bashful" are constantly in my head.

I can't believe how short this song is. It seems to have so much to it to be less than 2.5 mins long.

HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU

"OOF the backing from IF YOU PRAY RIGHT in HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU *BLOWN MIND EMOJI*"

I'll be honest and say this is probably my least favourite song of the album, although I can feel it growing on me as I enjoy the flow of Slowthai's rap.

I enjoy the link between IF YOU PRAY RIGHT and HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU with the same instrumental and sample of "Break da Law '95" by Three 6 Mafia. As well as the interpolation of If you pray right by Nina Simone I think the whole thing is really clever.

**Kevin said in an interview that he was listening to 'If you pray right' a lot at the time and he found the song through an interview that Shia LaBeouf did.

ST.PERCY

I love the sample used in this song "There is no love in the ghetto" from 'Only God Knows' by D-FLEXX - It reminds me of the songs my parents used to listen to when I was younger.

There is a constant 'ayyy' in the background that reminds me a little of 1997 DIANA which I love.

My favourite verses come from Matt and Bearface but my favourite part of the song is probably when Merlyn comes in with 'Murder man murder man' it's another iconic line from Merlyn reminiscent of 'Voodoo man' in 'NEW ORLEANS' a song on their previous album 'IRIDESCENCE'. Merlyn always has a way of bringing boundless energy to any track.

IF YOU PRAY RIGHT

I love hearing the beginning of this song. It gets me so hyped to listen to it. I love all the verses on this track the only thing I'm a bit iffy on is the end of track when the song changes into something very psychedelic.

The Wind instruments? Brass? Are so unique to me and it made me so happy to see the more behind the scenes members of brockhampton 'playing' them in the background of the video. **I just realised they are wearing airport security outfits to fit with the Ginger Airlines theme** While I'm on the topic of the video I think this is one of my favourite videos of this album - it feels like a step up in production from the Saturation series while still maintaining their unique style. The tinfoil esque jumpsuits are so cool to me and it makes me feel like I'm watching a group of astronauts jumping about and rapping. Don't even get me started on the treadmill.

This is definitely one of my top five songs of the album. Some of my favourite lyrics:

"Spin my words around as if you wanted a mandala for Nirvana Singin' a sonata towards our karma Did a rain dance, bringin' comma from Tacoma to Oaxaca I got spirits in my heart that make my mind move like it's water Flow into the moment and avoid the melodrama" - Dom McLennon

"Watch your back (Ayy), don't leave your door cracked (Yeah, yeah) Slither through your space and watch it all collapse (Yeah)" - Matt Champion

"Then you copy-paste hard hard work from the BH house" - Merlyn Wood

"At the door, bruh, Jehovah, you jo bitch Witness sadistic shit, well, come again" - JOBA

I love the word play about Jehovah Witnesses and the doorbell sound effect is especially cheeky.

"Childproof my pockets, don't need the options Romanticizing what I do if I ain't stop me" - JOBA

DEARLY DEPARTED

"DEARLY DEPARTED *CRYING FACE X 3*"

"Dom. I am sobbing so hard I feel like im gonna be sick. How can a song do this to me. I'm speechless."

"Have you ever started sobbing uncontrollably half way through a song, heart pounding feeling like ur gonna throw up on first listen? bc that just happened to me god damn i love brockhampton too fucking much."

This.song.

This song is stunning imo. I know it means so much more to people who know brockhampton and what they've been through but I also believe you can hear the emotion in their voices and the swelling instrumental.

There is so much emotion from everyone on this track but as you can see from my quoted tweets and messages above, Dom's verse hit me the hardest. I don't remember the last time I reacted so strongly to a song on the first listen. The delivery of the verse is as every bit as important as the lyrics and the way Dom comes in with "How many sides to a story can there be when you saw it with your own eyes" just hit me. Hard. By the end I was sobbing.

I didn't notice it for ages but it has since been pointed out to me that once Dom finishes his verse you can hear him take his headphones off and throw them across the room.

It is so rare to be able to portray such raw emotion through music in such a beautiful way. I am so sorry about how hurt they feel but I truly feel they are doing the best thing they can do. Take the pain and make art from it.

I BEEN BORN AGAIN

I was originally put off by the effect on Joba's voice during his verse but I think it might be my favourite verse of the track. The video also used to make me dizzy but knowing the story behind how it was filmed -basically winging it- I can appreciate it alot more. I also learnt that HK is the voice in the bridge which makes me a lot happier than it probably should.

I love it when Matt comes in it really hypes me up.

"Sugar, yeah, gimme some" - JOBA

"S-s-send 'em out the door They ain't knockin' no more" - Matt Champion

GINGER

This song has really grown on me since the first listen. If I had to give this album a feeling I would say chill nostalgia with a few bangers. GINGER is another chill song to go with songs like NO HALO and SUGAR.

I really like the instrumental and background of this song. It feels very peaceful and calming, I just enjoy the general feeling of this song. The Oh ohs at the end remind me of the beginning of 'The Mother We Share' by CHVRCHES.

BIG BOY

BIG BOY is another song I've warmed to more after the first listen. I often find greater appreciation for songs once I properly pay attention to the lyrics. I really love Joba's verses on this one.

"Lost cause and a lost child Lost my way tryna change for the wrong crowd I'm weak and I'll say it proud Built me up, pull me down, let's air it out Patch me up, and stitch it Make me better Just patch me up, and stitch it Make me better (Make me better)" - JOBA

LOVE ME FOR LIFE

I love the intro of this song and the instrumental. I remember watching the snippet of this song on instagram and getting hyped for the album.

This song is another case of reading the lyrics giving me a deeper appreciation for the song. I am always so grateful for what the members chose to share through their music. I hope it is a form of therapy for them.

I love Bearface's vocals at the end of the track, they often get stuck in my head.

VICTOR ROBERTS

"Aaaaaaand if you're hurtinnnnnnnnn love yourself with my hearrrrrrrrrrrt"

I am so glad Brockhampton gave Victor a platform to share his story. I love Ryan Beatty and Bearface's vocals on this track. It is the perfect way to end an album.

This song reflects a key motif of brockhampton, that everyone should have the opportunity to share their story. They don't take their platform for granted.

Dom said in their interview with Genius "I hope that more people utilize their platform to pass the fucking mic."

Ending notes

It has been a week since Ginger was released and I have listened to the album multiple times a day, everyday since. It's been 5 days since I wrote this review, I decided to let it sit for a while just incase I had additional thoughts to add. I do and here they are:

As if I didn't have enough love and respect for this album and bh's creative process, hearing them tell stories about the making of Ginger and explain where they were at mentally, I somehow love and appreciate it even more.

Even the story behind the cover art is amazing and knowing it makes it so much more meaningful.

I now rap along to 'Heaven Belongs To You', am falling in love with 'Love Me For Life', understand the backstories behind each members verse on 'Dearly Departed' and am starting to hear every little background noise and layered vocals.

Brockhampton consistently remind me of why I love their music. They make rap, poetry. Give a voice to those previously unheard. Share their life experiences with as much truth as they can bare. Quite simply they make art. And I love it. So so so much.

Here are some really good interviews that gave me a lot of insight:

(SWAY)

In-Studio Concert Series: Brockhampton Perform + Talk New Album & Removing A Group Member:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goQcG_kCzwc&list=FLEeOq5uglVT8ycxNxZSciFg&index=7&t=0s

(GENIUS)

BROCKHAMPTON On ‘GINGER,’ Shia LaBeouf & What Inspired “DEARLY DEPARTED” | For The Record:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKbldDfLPnU&list=FLEeOq5uglVT8ycxNxZSciFg&index=4&t=924s

Thank you so much for reading

- Kaitlyn