“Get the Fuck Out My Ride” — BROCKHAMPTON BUZZCUT(ft. Danny Brown) Track Review
The BH takeover is finally upon us! After numerous teasers, interview snippets, and statements on social media from the boys, the first single for BROCKHAMPTON’s upcoming sixth studio album, ROADRUNNER, has finally dropped to fans' delight. I thought I would take some time to share some thoughts and opinions on this new track and music video, BUZZCUT.
The track begins with a rhythmic pulsing and whirring that immediately sets the tone for this to be a high-energy, in-your-face type of song and establishes a driving force for the song to build on. This pulse is joined by a drumbeat shortly thereafter and we are taken into the world of the ROADRUNNERS.
Kevin Abstract, who many consider to be the face/leader of BH, takes the first verse. This seems to be a kind of new sound that I’ve never really heard from Kevin before and I love it. His flow is on point and he touches on some excellent and relevant topics, like being a black man in a tumultuous America and how even a platinum record can’t save him from that truth. From start to finish it's a solid verse with clean writing, flow, and a unique sound to his bars. This leads us into the hook/chorus of the song which doubles down on in-your-face sound and I couldn’t help myself from nodding my head along. Its energy is infectious.
This leads us into the feature with a verse from Danny Brown which is just awesome. Danny brings us a verse that hits hard with some great lines throwing shade at internet trolls and phonies alike. I don’t have too much to say about his verse content-wise but it's thoroughly enjoyable. I found that he could get a little lost in the background sometimes for me though. This could be just an issue with my speakers or something but he felt just a bit too quiet when compared to the rest of the brash mix. Overall, excellent verse.
Finally, Danny’s verse brings us to a tonal shift in the song, which I believe was a very smart decision and was needed. By the time Danny’s verse was over, I started to find the pulsing beat a little bit repetitive, so this shift to a more melodic, slow sound came at exactly the right time. This section features vocals from both Abstract and another BH member, Jabari. The mellower synths layered over the drumbeat from earlier gives a really good direction and transition toward the end of the song, bringing us down after the consistent high of the previous verses. This then directly leads into some immaculate Joba vocals with some Merlyn yelling (classic Merlyn). I would have liked to see some more of them on the track but it isn't because the track is lacking, I just love them both! Overall, this section serves as a great resolution to the track by slowing us down and giving the listener a minute to breathe after the intensity.
I think this will serve as an excellent opener to RR and I look forward to seeing more from this album and from the boys. I very much enjoyed this track, and if the rest of RR is around this quality, I believe this could be one of their best albums yet. Needless to say, I am aboard the hype train!
