By Abigail Best
Graphics by Codi Fant
BROCKHAMPTON, the self-professed evolution of the American boyband, dropped the second album in their SATURATION project today, and it’s worth getting pumped about. Brought together by member and solo artist Kevin Abstract via a Kanye West fan forum, BROCKHAMPTON is an organically assembled group of vocalists, rappers, producers, and artists who live and work out of a collective in LA. The group grew up and now showcase their work online via Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube, where their initial fans were teens and young, queer people of color.
With SATURATION II, the chemistry of BROCKHAMPTON is on full display, with a diverse yet harmonious selection of sounds and lyrics. Echoing the group’s own diverse identities, there is at least one track from this album that will resonate with any listener. In “JUNKY”, one of the album’s more high-energy tracks, members rap about growing up gay and struggling with addiction, while the lyrics of “GUMMY” speak to the group's dedicated friendship and success working together mixed with references to police violence against African Americans and the United States’ ongoing lack of accountability. The album reflects the reality of America for teens and young people today, who live with unlimited access to diverse communities via the internet while also having continual exposure to news stories that expose the widespread injustices that those communities face at the hands of those in power. At the same time, it acknowledges how the solidarity they find online is at odds with their lives IRL, growing up in segregated communities with parents from an older, less aware generation.
Consistent with BROCKHAMPTON’s trend towards exclusive self promotion and lack of fanfare, members confirmed via Twitter just earlier this week that SATURATION III, the third part in a trilogy initiated with their debut album this June, is in the works and have released a video for a single from that upcoming album.
Listen to SATURATION II on Spotify and iTunes now.