Album Of The Week: iridescence — Brockhampton
This week, Mariella reviews the fourth album from California-based fourteen-piece Brockhampton. After launching into stardom with their last trilogy of albums, they have delivered more of what made them so successful in the first place.
Brockhampton are truly a band of the internet age. Although they recently signed to record label RCA, the majority of their fan base has been built independently online, after quickly gaining a cult following thanks to their high level of output and critically acclaimed releases over the last two years. Most of the members were recruited by frontman Kevin Abstract from the Kanye West fan forum ‘KanyeToThe’, and since 2010 the collective has grown to fourteen members in size. In 2017, they released a trilogy of albums known as Saturation I, II, and III, which saw them be catapulted into the mainstream.
After the release of the Saturation albums, the boyband were struck by controversy when one of their main vocalists, Ameer Vann, was accused of sexual assault. He subsequently left the band. However, far from being broken apart, the band moved forward, into a new era. ‘Iridescence’, the display of rainbow-like colour caused by the refraction of light waves in accordance with the changing viewpoint of an observer, is the phenomenon that the album has been named after, and it is perfectly fitting.
Iridescence — the first in a new trilogy, The Best Years Of Our Lives — is a reflection on the whirlwind year that precedes its release, and a look back on the success of Saturation — as well as both the highs and lows that came with it. This fourth album went through several iterations before becoming iridescence, hinting at the tumultuous period the group were going through. But now, with the album out, we get to hear from each of them about the truth behind the best year of their lives.
Along with the success of the last three albums, the build-up to the release of iridescence has been marked by several other milestones. The first song released from the album was ‘Tonya’, which Brockhampton premiered in their first ever late night TV performance on Jimmy Fallon. The song is inspired by the award-winning film I, Tonya, about the famous skater Tonya Harding, and, like the film, deals with themes of unstable stardom. With fame, success, and stardom can bring hardships as well as happiness, as Kevin Abstract confesses: “I’ll trade fame any day/For a quiet Texas place and a barbecue plate”. The verse is played over sombre violin and delicate piano, with the eerie vocal ad libs from serpentwithfeet making the song even darker and more introspective.
A day before the album was released, the band debuted their first studio single — and only promotional single — from the LP: ‘J’Ouvert’. It is the only song of the initial two that showcases the more aggressive tone that the band take on their fourth album, and features hard, grinding beats and screaming delivery from Joba on his verse: “[…]wish that I was better/At dealing with the fame and you fake motherf****rs” he laments. This song also features a sample from a Grenadian soca song, a nod from producer Jabari Manwa to his heritage.
‘District’ is another example of the new aggression that this album reflects, with incessant, industrial synths that continue throughout the song. Whilst the verses from each rapper are consistently good, the abrasive nature of this track could easily be less accessible to more casual fans.
As might be clear, many of the tracks on the album address the inner demons that each member of the band has had to battle with since beginning their swift journey to fame; this is particularly true of ‘Weight’. Beginning slowly with violins, the song then transitions into a fast-paced, jungle-style beat which still retains the mellow air of the opening. The verses deal with hard-hitting topics such as self-harm, mental health, coming to terms with sexuality, and, of course, the pressure of fame. In fact, Joba repeats the word ‘pressure’ in a disorganised and senseless way, alongside half finished sentences that seemingly reflect his erratic mental state. ‘Vivid’ is similarly hard-hitting, and highlights Dom McLennon’s lyrical talent as he exercises powerful statements and complex flow, creating a dynamic verse that juxtaposes two very different delivery styles. This is even more impressive considering that he wrote it in only 10 minutes.
The members continue to ruminate on the highs and lows of fame on ‘Berlin’, with Dom saying: “Did some Beatles sh*t to kick off this September”, referencing the fact that they went from recording the previous trilogy in their house, to recording this album in Abbey Road. The song is one of the album’s highlights, with a particularly catchy chorus from bearface. Brockhampton have come a long way in a short space of time, and there are reminders of this everywhere. From recording the album in Abbey Road to sampling Beyoncé in the smoother second half of ‘Honey’, the surreal nature of their success hasn’t been lost on the band. Continuing this positivity, Kevin Abstract then celebrates his love for his boyfriend on ‘Something About Him’. Here he uses a very simple production style, with distorted vocals that are reminiscent of Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’. This track is then followed by the upbeat and carefree ‘Where The Cash At’, a song that celebrates their newfound financial stability.
Considering Brockhampton’s dramatic rise in popularity, it is not hard to see why iridescence is so saturated with thoughts on fame and success. One moment the band were recording in their bedroom, and only a year later big names in music are supporting their first studio-recorded album. But why are so many people starting to pay attention? The answer is that Brockhampton are like no band that have come before them, with their internet-driven journey to success being literally impossible not that long ago. It may not be uncommon these days for people to acquire a large fan base over the internet, but no other band in recent memory have produced three successful and highly acclaimed albums in just one year. The era that initially brought the collective this success and attention may have ended, but the era of Brockhampton is far from over.
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