Spotlight: The Internet — Hive Mind

If you haven’t heard of The Internet before, you may be forgiven. The group, who released their first studio album in 2011, are the epitome of nonchalant; they were formed by members of Odd Future, who found their niche in music that embraced their “weirdness” and non-conformity. The Internet, however, broke through to commercial success with their 2015 album Ego Death, which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Currently, the band is comprised of five members — singer and main songwriter Sydney Bennett, more commonly known as Syd; Matthew Martins, known by his stage name Matt Martians; Steve Lacy; Patrick Paige II; and Christopher Smith. All have had successful solo releases; all are young enough to make you feel bad for how much you’ve achieved in your life — especially Lacy, who has produced songs for Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, and who was still in high school when the group earned their Grammy.

Hive Mind is their fourth album, and while the sound is not new or exciting, it brings the same feelings as Ego Death — somewhere between relaxed and groovy, the same hybrid of funk and R&B goodness that has kept them “cool” for so long. The basslines function as the point of focus on each song; and there is no one standout, as the album works as a whole — a steady stream of strings and instrumentals. Most of all, the synchrony between Syd’s vocals and the rest of the music is what works — there is never competition for attention, just a sound that exemplifies why the band is stronger than ever.