Travis Scott has been one of the most important and controversial Hip Hop artists of the last decade. He has been praised for his innovation and impact when it comes to his music but criticized for his insensitivity when it comes to his fellow humans(in some regards, he relates to one of his idols, Kanye, because of this). Regardless of how anyone feels about his persona, it is not possible to deny the massive impact he has had on the Hip Hop world. Travis Scott has been considered groundbreaking since his debut in the early 2010s; his mixtapes Owl Pharaoh and Days Before Rodeo were both considered to be revolutionary, and were a precursor for what was to come. Travis Scott’s first three studio albums, 2015’s Rodeo, 2016’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, and 2018’s Astroworld, are all considered to be formative pieces of Hip Hop and were massively inspirational to so many artists who came after their release; Astroworld, in particular, is considered to be one of the best(if not the best) Trap albums ever, and it has praised as being one of the best albums of the 2010s from any genre. After a five-year hiatus, Travis Scott has finally returned with his new album UTOPIA. This comes on the heels of the infamous Astroworld festival tragedy, where 10 people died and hundreds were injured due to a stampede at one of his concerts(Travis Scott has been ridiculed for this because he did not stop the concert when he saw there were problems happening in the crowd). A lot is riding on this record, as people want to see how he will respond to the criticisms and follow up on the masterpiece that is Astroworld. With that being said, here is my opinion of Travis Scott’s UTOPIA. Please let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from this record as well as how you feel about it as a whole.
Travis Scott got UTOPIA started on a bold and striking note with the song ‘HYAENA.’ I could see how people who are massive fans of Astroworld and wanted to hear music like that would be turned off by this kind of beginning to the record. ‘HYAENA’ feels directly inspired by two of Travis Scott’s biggest influences, Kid Cudi and Kanye West. This song sounds as if one of Kid Cudi’s Alternative Rock-tinted Rap songs from the early 2010s was made for Kanye’s Yeezus album. The song has an Alternative Rock tempo and instrumental style, but it is highly distorted and industrial. Travis Scott’s vocals on this song are so cold and vapid; they fit the hellish feeling of the instrumental. ‘HYAENA’ is an attention-grabbing song that gets the record started on a freaky and interesting note. ‘THANK GOD,’ featuring KayCyy, is a strange song that draws me in and puts me off at the same time. The song has a vast, atmospheric melody that reminds me of some of the Dark Trap music that Travis Scott made popular early in his career. In my opinion, the Trap beat that this song has comes in way too late. Travis Scott keeps the listener waiting for the beat to drop until almost the end of the song; as a listener, it feels like you are being edged for an eternity, and by the time the beat comes in, it is sort of underwhelming. This song almost feels like a waste in a way, because the vocal performances are great. Travis Scott and KayCyy embody the foreboding feeling of the melody so well through their vocals. ‘THANK GOD’ would probably be one of my favorite songs on this project if the beat came in earlier. ‘MODERN JAM,’ featuring Teezo Touchdown, has quickly become a very polarizing song, and it is easy to see why. This is like an industrial version of a New Jack Swing song. It has the tempo of the 90s Funky Pop made popular by artists like Blackstreet, and the harrowing kind of melody that is reminiscent of Playboi Carti’s vampiric Whole Lotta Red album. The beat and instrumental are highly distorted, giving the song an industrial feeling that is a bit grating. I love the vocal performances on this track. Travis Scott’s flow rides this instrumental perfectly and the eccentricity of Teezo Touchdown goes so well with the weird energy of this song. ‘MODERN JAM’ is obviously not for everyone, but it is a cool track that shows a side of Travis Scott that I never would have thought was possible. ‘MY EYES’’ slows things down and brings the mood back up. After the harsh nature of the first few songs, it feels like a palate cleanser. The first half of this song has a low-key R&B Trap track with a sweet and calm nature. The melody in this section of the song is so warm and inviting, and the beat is very faded; about halfway through the song, the melody gets slightly more Trippy and Dark, and the beat picks up some emphasis. Travis Scott’s vocal performance on this track is not anything special, but it does drive the song along nicely. ‘MY EYES’ is not a song that stands out, but it does work to bring the mood of the album back from the weird place that it starts in. ‘GOD’S COUNTRY’ sounds like if someone played some Jazz music and some Atmospheric Trap for a space alien and told them to fuse the two. This song is off-putting and inviting at the same time. I do not know how this is possible, but that is the only way I can describe it. The melody for this song is weird and abrasive, but I can not seem to get enough of it. This melody sounds like something that would play during a lucid dream about a dystopian world. This song does not have a particularly exciting beat, but its monotonous element fits the feeling of the melody. Travis Scott’s vocal performance on this track does not super exciting, but that is okay because it puts the focus more on the weird melody. ‘God’s Country’ is not a long track, it is still very rousing.
‘SIRENS’ is a song that has quickly become a fan favorite, and it is easy to see why. This is an intense Industrial Pop song that will get anyone’s heart pumping when they hear it. The melody of the song fuses Alternative Rock with freaky New Wave Synth-Pop; it sounds as if bands like INXS or Flock Of Seagulls made music with a 2000s Garage Rock band. Travis Scott’s vocal performance on this track is bold and fierce, and it goes awesomely with the nature of the instrumental. ‘SIRENS’ is the kind of song I would never expect to hear from Travis Scott, and I have to say he completely nails it. Unsurprisingly, ‘MELTDOWN’ has also emerged as one of the popular songs from the album so far. This is because it features Drake and has a sound that closely resembles the music from Astroworld. This song has a hard-hitting Trap instrumental that is not revolutionary or innovative, but still packs a punch. It is definitely a song for those people who do not appreciate some of the more unorthodox sounds Travis Scott is going with on this album. Travis Scott’s vocal performance on this song is solid, but Drake is the one who really stands out. His delivery holds so much power and force(which is ironic because he basically whispers most of it). ‘MELTDOWN’ is not exceptional by any means, but it’s a fun banger that serves its purpose. ‘FE!N,’ which features Playboy Carti, is another song that has garnered a lot of attention already. This is one of the most brash and intense songs on the record, which is saying a lot. This is an Industrial upbeat Trap song with such a bleak sound. Like so many songs before it, the fact that ‘FE!N’ is on an album that is called UTOPIA is ironic because it feels so dystopian. Playboi Carti’s presence is not only noticeable through his wild vocals, but also the instrumental. The melody for this song has that creepy Vampiric feeling we got earlier in the record that reminds me of Whole Lotta Red. Speaking of vocals, both artists kill it on this song; they enhance the creepy feeling of the instrumental so much with their equally chilling vocal performances. ‘FE!N’ is a track that brings out the best in both of the artists on it, as they both excel on this kind of alarming instrumental. Similar to the song that precedes it, ‘DELRESTO,’ which features Beyoncé, sounds like a deep cut from an album made by the feature. In other words, this track sounds like it could have been on Beyoncé’s album Renaissance. This is a downtempo House song with a 1990s Vogue music feeling. It has the kind of sound I would expect to hear at some warehouse club in New York City or Berlin. The melody for this song is dark and gloomy, which contrasts with the fun nature of the beat. Both of the vocal performances on this song are great. Beyoncé and Travis Scott show a lot of diversity and fluctuation in their vocal performance, which gives the song so much texture. Even though this instrumental is cool and the vocals are great, ‘DELRESTO’ just does not grab me. I do not know if it is because it sounds weird in the context of this tracklist or that it just is not as good as the music on Beyoncé’s Renaissance, but ‘DELRESTO’ does not have the impact that it should. ‘I KNOW’ is another song that more traditional Trap fans and fans of Travis Scott’s early music should love. This song has a pretty basic Atmospheric Trap sound with a gloomy and dark nature to it. The melody for this song is dreary, and the way the beat pounds enhances its murkiness. Travis Scott is in his bag vocally on this track. ‘I KNOW’ is the kind of song he has excelled in the past, and he sounds so natural on this instrumental. ‘I KNOW’ may not be the most inventive or exciting song on the album, but it does show that Travis can always go back to his roots.
‘TOPIA TWINS,’ which features Rob49 and 21 Savage, is an additional song with a sound that is reminiscent of some of Travis Scott’s early work. Like ‘I KNOW,’ this track has a pretty cookie-cutter Atmospheric Trap sound. The melody and beat are certainly nothing to write home about; they do not stand out to me in any way, to be honest. In fact, I do not think I would consider ever returning to this song if it was not for 21 Savage. He slides on this beat, and his performance is the only thing about the track that is engaging to me. ‘TOPIA TWINS’ is a song that traditional Trap music fans will gravitate to, but it does not hold up to some of the more riveting stuff on this album. ‘CIRCUS MAXIMUS,’ which features The Weeknd and Swae Lee, goes back to the Industrial Pop that we were getting earlier in the record. This song has such an addicting beat that gives me so much life when it comes on. If I still played organized sports, it would be a pump-up song for me, because it just injects me with energy. The synth-driven melody for this track has a 1980s New Wave feeling; this song is as if Death Grips or JPEGMAFIA produced something for The Weeknd’s After Hours album. Speaking of The Weeknd, his vocal performance is the one that stands above the other artists on the track. As I said, the melody for this song sounds like it came from After Hours, so it is easy to understand why he sounds so great on it. ‘CIRCUS MAXIMUS’ is a unique track that brings back the otherworldly and Industrial feeling that the beginning of the record had. ‘PARASAIL,’ which features Dave Chapelle and Yung Lean. is one of the most simple and powerful sounding tracks on the album. The song solely consists of vibrant, warm synths that are put over no beat. The fact that there is no beat makes this melody hit so much harder; the way the melody and vocals are so distorted makes the song feel so big and all-encompassing. ‘Parasail’ is not long and does not have a beat, but it is still very compelling. ‘SKITZO,’ which features Young Thug, has quickly emerged as one of my favorite tracks from this record(there is probably only one song later in the record that I enjoy more). ‘SKITZO’ has a sound that sort of blends the Industrial Pop that has been somewhat prevalent on this record with some of the more traditional Trap music that Travis Scott is known for. The first half of the song has a fast-paced Dance-Trap beat that completely bangs, and it has a distorted synth-driven melody that is so gritty and dark. At about the halfway point, the beat switches; for the rest of the track, the instrumental cycles through multiple unusual Trap beats that keep the listener on their toes. Both Travis Scott and Young Thug excel on this track. They both show a massive amount of diversity in their vocal abilities, and they give this already complicated song even more texture. ‘SKITZO’ is a great and diverse track that not only shows off Travis Scott’s inventiveness as a producer but also shows off his and Young Thug’s diversity as vocalists. ‘LOST FOREVER,’ featuring Westside Gunn, is a song that leans directly into the spine-tingling, nightmarish feeling that a lot of this album has had. I could imagine a lot of people not being into this song because of how bizarre and off putting it is. To be fair, though, it leans directly into the startling feeling that a lot of the rest of the record has. The song starts with a calm yet startling Hip Hop instrumental driven by a heavily distorted simple keyboard melody. As the song progresses, the beat starts to pick up and more and more distortion comes in. Even though the song never becomes overly intense, the amount of distortion that slides into the instrumental makes it weirder and more vitriolic. Neither of the vocal performances from Westside Gunn or Travis Scott are exceptional, but they do fit the bitter nature of the instrumental. ‘LOST FOREVER’ is not the most exciting or noticeable song on the record, but it does fit the nature of the album nicely.
‘LOOOVE,’ which features Kid Cudi, brings back the Industrial Alternative Rock-Rap we got earlier in the record. Particularly, it reminds me of the song ‘HYAENA,’ which is interesting because I literally mentioned Kid Cudi when talking about that song. The instrumental for this track is so grating and dark; it sounds like something that would play during an intense scene of a movie like Hellraiser. The track’s “melody” consists of a buzzing bassline, and the beat sounds like it is being played on some weird robotic drum set. Both the vocal performances from Kid Cudi and Travis Scott are excellent. They go with the spiritless nature of the instrumental so well, adding to the shocking nature of the instrumental. ‘LOOOVE’ is a cool track that fits the energy of the track perfectly. ‘K-POP,’ which features The Weeknd and Bad Bunny, was the only single released in anticipation of this record. To be honest, it felt like the world(myself included) was pretty underwhelmed by this song when it came out. This is a pretty basic-sounding Reggaeton-tinted Pop track with a bright and vibrant melody and an overall light feeling. I have to say, within the context of this album, I like it a lot more than when it came out. I think it is because it creates such a vast contrast from some of the darker music in this record, and it provides a nice buffer from the harshness throughout UTOPIA. Travis Scott sounds alright on this track, but both Bad Bunny and The Weeknd outshine him. Unsurprisingly, their voices fit this kind of instrumental much better, and they slide on this beat so naturally. ‘K-POP’ is not one off my favorite songs on the record, but I do think it is a good palate cleanser from some of the harsher stuff on this record. ‘TELEKINESIS,’ featuring Future and SZA, is a song I can not get out of my head. I have been thinking about this track since it came out. It is my favorite song of 2023 so far, and I honestly think it is one of the best(if not the best) songs of Travis’ career. This song samples the iconic unreleased Kanye track ‘Future Sounds.’ That is a track that fans have been wanting Kanye and Travis to release for years, so it is cool to hear it in this context. This track has such an ethereal feeling to it; everything from the heavenly melody to the mechanical beat that comes in and out makes the song feel like I am floating on this track. Every vocal performance on ‘TELEKINESIS’ is incredible. Travis Scott and Future sound so magnificent on this track; their husky vocals make the song feel so full. As good as Future and Travis Scott sound, SZA blows them out of the water. Hers is easily the best vocal performance on the record, and it is probably my favorite verse of the year from anyone. ‘TELEKINESIS’ is an example of Travis Scott at his absolute peak, and it is songs like this that make it easy to understand why he is held in such high regard. The record closes out with ‘TIL FURTHER NOTICE,’ which features James Blake and 21 Savage. Even though this is one of the most simple-sounding songs on the record, it does well to close things out. This is an Atmospheric Trap sound that feels influenced by the music Travis made early in his career. Even though it does remind me of some of Travis’ older music, the amount of distortion and weird sound effects used throughout the track make it fit well as an ending to this album. Similar to the preceding song, every vocal performance on this track is phenomenal. James Blake and Travis Scott both deliver more reserved vocal performances that feel ghostly and hypnotic and 21 Savage raps with an urgency that nicely contrasts their deliveries. ‘TIL FURTHER NOTICE’ is not one of the most riveting songs on the album, but it does wrap up UTOPIA crisply and concisely.
The discourse around this album since it has come out has been very interesting and polarizing. On one hand, some people hate it, either because it is so unlike anything he has ever done or because it is so lyrically insipid and does not address any of the criticisms regarding the Astroworld Festival tragedy; on the other hand, people are praising it for how different and all-encompassing it is. As far as the lyrical aspect is concerned, I do not know why anyone expected him to ever address any of the discourse around him. He has never been known for being an introspective lyricist, and I did not think there was any way he was going to start now. As far as the sonic direction of the album, I love it. It is cool how he decided to go so far outside his comfortable zone and take a risk like this, and I think he nailed it for the most part. The biggest problem I have with this album is that it is a bit too long. There are a few songs on this album that could have been left out. Even though they do fit well into the context of the sound of the record, they just do not have the impact that the rest of the tracks have. Overall, though, UTOPIA is a cool piece of music that I think is going to age super well over the next few years. UTOPIA is not perfect, but it proves that Travis Scott is still one of the most important and influential artists in music today.
EAST SIDE VIBES 