Kevin Abstract has got to be one of the most intriguing artists of this generation. He is so multi-faceted and unique; there are no boundaries as to the kind of art he can make. I originally became exposed to Kevin Abstract through his iconic band BROCKHAMPTON, who released their final two albums early last year. BROCKHAMPTON made some of the most interesting and polarizing Hip Hop albums of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Albums like their SATURATION series and Iridescence are held in high regard by Hip Hop heads, and they were instrumental in helping a lot of more casual Pop music fans into Rap music fans because of how genre-defying and diverse they are. In addition to his heavy contributions to the music of BROCKHAMPTON, Kevin Abstract has been releasing solo music for many years as well. After releasing a couple of singles in late 2015 and early 2016, Kevin Abstract released his debut album American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story in 2016. This album received positive reviews from critics and music fans alike, and it contains the song ‘Empty,’ which is a cool Alt-Pop track I still listen to frequently to this day. Kevin Abstract dropped his second solo album, ARIZONA BABY, in 2019. This extremely varied record received critical acclaim and proved that Kevin Abstract could be just as good as a solo artist as he could be when with his former band BROCKHAMPTON. After focusing on the final few albums of BROCKHAMPTON for a couple of years following the release of ARIZONA BABY, Kevin Abstract has finally returned with another new solo album called Blanket. Hopefully, this is a continuation of the greatness from his last two albums, as it is one I have been excited about. With that being said, here is how I feel about Blanket. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from Blanket, and also comment on how you feel about the album as a whole.

Kevin Abstract begins Blanket on a bold and melancholy note with the song ‘When The Rope Supposed to Break.’ This one certainly grabs me as a listener and immediately pulls me in. It is a song that combines multiple kinds of intense music into a sound that is totally unique and fascinating. ‘When The Rope Supposed to Break’ is a mesh of Post-Grunge, Emo Pop-Rock, and Industrial Pop. Throughout the sound, all three of these kinds of music come to the forefront. At some points, the guitar riff, which is so cold and harsh, has a grunge feeling. At other times in the song, it has a lighter Acoustic Emo element. Near the end of the track, abrasive synths and a light piano riff come in and out, giving the song a jarring Synth-Pop sound. Kevin’s vocals are slightly pitched up on this track, which adds to its downtrodden feeling. Usually, this kind of vocal arrangement is used to make a song sound brighter, but in this case, it makes the track sound sad. In ‘When The Rope Supposed to Break,’ he sings about his lack of hope in himself and the world around him. He is trying to accept that the world is the way it is and that he just has to deal with it. The title track, ‘Blanket,’ was the first single released from this record. This is another one inspired by 1990s Grunge music. In fact, it directly reminds me of one of my favorite artists of all time, Nirvana. In particular, it makes me think of their earlier music from the album Bleach because of the way it incorporates 1980-style Post-Punk music. This instrumental is so dark and weird and brisk. The song is driven by a mean guitar riff that is put over upbeat and very distorted drums. Throughout the song, weird sound effects and instruments(like a bass guitar and piano) come in and out making the song feel so full. Kevin Abstract’s vocal performance on this track is just as out there as the instrumental. At some points, he is whispering the lyrics, and at others, he is screaming them. I will say that I wish this song were a bit longer because, at 1:57, it ends before I can truly dive into it. Regardless, it has a cool sound that shows appreciation for some of my favorite music. Lyrically, there is not a lot going on with ‘Blanket.’ It consists of a lot of yelling; this is the kind of song to play when you are pissed off because it does not have a lot of meaning but will let you exert your negative energy. Kevin Abstract goes in a slightly lighter and fresher direction with the song ‘Running Out,’ which was the third single released from this record.This is a song that fuses early 2010s-esque Indie Rock music with Industrial Pop. The guitar riff that drives this melody has a glitchy feeling that makes me think of bands like the Neon Trees or The Wombats. This guitar riff is complemented by caustic, distorted sound effects that consist of all sorts of weird sound effects and synths that almost make the song sound futuristic. This sounds like an Indie Rock song that came out of the CyberPunk 2077 video game. The drums on ‘Running Out’ are just as warped as the sound effects, adding the sci-fi feeling of the instrumental. Kevin Abstracts are pitched up on this track, creating an unusual juxtaposition with the instrumental. In ‘Running Out,’ Kevin Abstract is singing about moving on from a bad relationship and who he used to be. He realizes that he needs to grow, but he is having trouble letting go of the past.

‘The Greys’ is a song with a much softer and mellow feeling than any of the tracks that precede it. To be honest, this song does not grab me nearly as much as the first three tracks. I do not know what it is about this one that just does not pull me in; to be honest, I find the instrumental and arrangement of the song kind of boring. This is a Grunge version of the Folk-Pop music made popular by artists like KT Tunstall. For some reason, when I hear this one, I immediately think of that song ‘Black Horse And The Cherry Tree,’ which I just do not enjoy. Near the end of this song, Some dynamic synths come in and take over the melody, which makes it more exciting. It is a shame that I do not dig this instrumental because Kevin Abstract’s vocal performance is great. The emotion in his voice is palpable, helping the song become much more engaging and interesting than the instrumental. ‘The Greys’ is a love song where Kevin Abstract is stating that he does not care what anyone thinks about him and his significant other. ‘Voyager’ is by far the brightest and most positive-sounding song on the album to this point. This track has an abnormal instrumental that seems to take inspiration from two different kinds of 1990s music. On the one hand, this one makes me think of Pop-Rock from bands like the Goo Goo Dolls, and on the other hand, it is reminiscent of Post-Grunge from artists like Social Distortion. These are not two kinds of music that I would typically think could mesh well, but it does work pretty well on this track. I think the thing that really pulls this song together is Kevin Abstract’s vocal performance. His vocals are very vigorous and compelling, pulling me in as a listener in a way that makes this song feel so huge. ‘Voyager’ by Kevin Abstract is a sweet love song where he states all of the things he appreciates about his significant other. ‘Madonna’ is a song that has immediately become a fan favorite from this record, and it is easy to see why. This is a bright, vibrant R&B Trap song with a 2010s Indie Rock feeling to it. When I hear this track, I immediately think of the music from SZA’s SOS album. The guitar riff that drives this track is so colorful and pleasant; it is the kind of melody that will put anyone in a good mood when they hear it. This guitar riff is put over a light Trap beat that goes very nicely with the relaxing feeling of the melody. Kevin Abstract’s vocals on this track are excellent; he sings with so much life, enhancing the anthemic feeling that ‘Madonna’ has. In ‘Madonna,’ Kevin Abstract is singing about a glamorous girl who lights up the room and thinks(knows) that she is a star. ‘Today I Gave Up’ brings back the Pop-Tinted Grunge music we heard at the beginning of the record. To be frank, this is the most underwhelming song on the record to this point. This may be because it follows the song that is easily the best. But I do not think ‘Today I Gave Up’ would engage me no matter where it is placed in the record. There is something about the melody and vocals on this track that just do not grab me like some of the other ones do. On ‘Today I Gave Up,’ Kevin Abstract is singing about depression and how it drags him down.

 ‘What Should I Do?’ is the second single that was released before this Blanket came out. When I first heard this track, it made me super excited for the potential of this record. ‘What Should I Do?’ is a unique take on semi-acoustic Emo Pop-Rock music that stands out and feels so fresh. This song has a sound that feels retro and modern at the same time. The melody and way in which the instruments are played are reminiscent of mid-2000s Emo music, but there is something about the mix and tone that makes it unusual in a great way. The vocal performance of this song is excellent; the way in which Kevin croons the lyrics on this track makes it feel all-encompassing. On ‘What Should I Do?,’ Kevin Abstract is singing about falling in love and trying to fight it. ‘Mr. Edwards’ is a 52-second industrial Hip Hop cut that sounds like it came out of the unreleased music from Yeezus. Kevin Abstract has professed his admiration for Kanye many times and always seems to incorporate something directly influenced by Kanye in all of his music. Even though ‘Mr. Edwards’ is an interesting piece of music, it does not fit into the theme of this record at all and I do not understand why it was put here. I guess it may have been put in here to throw the listener off, and it does do that. ‘Scream’ leans back into the Emo-Rock theme that we got from the track ‘What Should I Do?’ and goes a slightly different direction with it. Whereas that song has more of a Dancey Pop-Rock feeling to it, ‘Sceam’ feels a lot more like Hip Hop music. In particular, it has an Emo-Trap feeling that makes me think of Lil Peep. I could see him or Lil Tracy hopping on this instrumental in 2018. Kevin Abstract uses a bit of a Hip Hop flow in his vocal delivery which fits into that Emo-Trap element of the track. Kevin Abstract shows off his range as a vocalist in ‘Scream,’ hitting low and high notes with ease and proving how dynamic he can be. On ‘Scream,’ Kevin is singing about the first time he hung out with his partner and how he was smitten with them from the moment they first connected.

‘Real 2 Me’ is a song that switches up from the sound of the last couple of songs and introduces a new style of music to the record. This song has a way faster tempo than anything that precedes it, and this change in tempo is welcomed as it injects energy into the record. ‘Real 2 Me’ has a Post-Punk HyperPop sound that seems as equally influenced by New Order as it does Charli XCX. It is an ultramodern take on the crazy New Wave music that bands like Joy Division and INXS introduced to the world in the Late 1970s. There are lots of sound effects in this track and quite a bit of effects are used on Kevin Abstract’s vocals, giving the song a futuristic element that I love. In ‘Real 2 Me,’ Kevin Abstract sings about falling in love with a friend and not knowing what to do. ‘Heights, Spiders, and the Dark’ is a song that introduces another style of music to this record that we have not heard yet.  Although this track does have a guitar riff that has a grunge element to the way it is distorted, the sound of this song is decidedly more Country. There is a certain twangy component to the way the guitar is played on this track that feels so country, and there is a fiddle that comes in and out making the track feel so Southern. The pitched-up vocals that ‘Heights, Spiders, and the Dark’ contains contrast the instrumental in a strange way that I can not yet decide if I love or hate. In ‘Heights, Spiders, and the Dark,’ Kevin Abstracts seems to be relating the things he was afraid of as a child to his fear to the fact that he is falling in love with his close friend. Kevin Abstract closes out Blanket with ‘My Friend.’ This is an additional track with a Country feeling to it. This track feels even more Country than the song that precedes it. ‘My Friend’ does not contain the Grungey and Dark feeling that ‘Heights, Spiders, and the Dark’ has. Instead, this song has a sweet and warm feeling that is very lovely and calming. This song is driven by a beautiful guitar riff complemented by a fiddle; these two instruments make up the whole instrumental as the song contains no beat. Once again, Kevin Abstract shows off the versatility of his vocal abilities in ‘My Friend.’ He and the guest vocalist MJ Lenderman make this song feel so full and cozy with their excellent vocals on the track. ‘My Friend’ follows the lyrical theme that a lot of this record has followed, as Kevin is singing about how he is falling in love with one of his best friends. ‘My Friend’ is a great closer track for this record, as it winds down the mood of Blanket and keeps the ending of the project light while exhibiting a different side to Kevin Abstract’s artistry that I did not expect.

When an artist has a catalog that is as highly regarded as Kevin Abstract’s, it is always tough for their new music to live up to the hype it receives before it comes out. When an artist like this decides to go in an entirely different direction with their new music than they have ever gone in the past, sometimes the reaction from their fans is pretty lukewarm. This is the case with Kevin Abstract’s Blanket. The reactions I have seen about this record online have been more negative than I think they should be. I have not seen anyone who downright hates the record, but I do feel like it is not getting the credit it deserves. Blanket is a quality record with a concise lyrical theme that flows together sonically very well while showing the eclecticism and diversity in Kevin Abstract’s artistry. He proves his talent as a songwriter on this record and shows there is no limit to the kind of music he can make. Blanket may not be the best piece of music that Kevin Abstract has put out, but it is still a very good record that starts a new chapter in his career that I am excited to continue following in the future.

BEST TRACKS – ‘WHEN THE ROPE POST TO BREAK,’ ‘VOYAGER,’ ‘MADONNA,’ ‘WHAT SHOULD I DO?’ ‘SCREAM,’ ‘MY FRIEND’

7.41/10