Don Toliver is one of the more interesting R&B artists to emerge over the last several years. He has cultivated a sound and distinctive style and has always been willing to go outside the box. When he first emerged in the mid 2010s, he was considered a protege of Travis Scott. He was the premier artist from Travis Scott’s new Cactus Jack label and provided vocals in several songs. His first few solo projects definitely did feel like he was sort of a new iteration of Travis. This wasn’t a bad thing, as his talent showed through. He does have some bangers on his first three releases. It also did not necessarily stand out from the pack as a whole. His vocals have always been great, but sonically, it felt like he could do more. Don Toliver shifted, though, on his 2023 album Love Sick. This record is unlike what came before it. Love Sick explores many different kinds of R&B and Electronic sounds, pushing Don Toliver out of his comfort zone. His 2024 album, HARDSTONE PSYCHO, saw Don push himself even further. This album had elements of Metal and Rock, combining them with R&B Trap to make something super unique. Don had a vision for this record that was so different from his peers. Don Toliver has now returned with a new record called OCTANE. This record once again sees Don push boundaries with his sound, expanding upon his last two records. Below, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite songs from this record, and also talk about how I feel about it as a whole! Please let me know in the comments what you think of Don Toliver’s OCTANE.

BODY

‘Body’ is one of the songs from this record that has been popping off, and it is definitely easy to see why. This song has club banger written all over it. The song is driven by a great sample that immediately gets the energy going. ‘Body’ samples the iconic Justin Timberlake track ‘Rock Your Body.’ This sample gives the basis for the melody, and the sample echoes in the background throughout the track. This track sort of feels like a CyberPunk R&B Trap version of the original. The song is very groovy, keeping that Timbaland feeling in the production. The mix of this track is so gritty and dirty, which I love. Don Toliver’s vocals fit this track nicely. His flow is decisive, and his tone adds color to the track. ‘Body’ is a rowdy song that will get any dance floor jumping when it comes on. 

RENDEZVOUS FEAT. YEAT

Don Toliver and Yeat have built a great working relationship over the years. They both have very unique vocal styles, and they play off of each other very well. Judging by the direction of his last album and the beginning of this one, this collaboration was bound to be here. ‘Rendezvous’ is the kind of song that brings out the best in both artists. As one would probably expect, the instrumentation on this one is very heavy and trippy. The song is driven by a groovy and distorted bassline. The song is full of bright and sweet synths that contrast with the grittiness and give the track a lighter element. I really dig the way Don Toliver and Yeat play off of each other on this one. Their tones contrast each other well, and both artists give the song a cool texture. There is something so inviting about this one, although it has a pretty tough sound. ‘Rendezvous’ is another moment where Yeat and Don Toliver push each other and excel while doing it. 

SECONDHAND FEAT. REMA

‘Secondhand’ is the first song on the album with a completely different sound and style than anything before it. I love it when Don Toliver completely goes outside of his comfort zone, and he does so on this track. This one leans into a trend that has been big in the underground in America for the last couple of years. The beat has a bit of a UK Drill feeling to it that really stands out. It is classified as “Sexy Drill” or R&B Drill music here. Whatever you call it, this kind of music really stands out, and it rules. The melody for this track is so sugary and bright. The melody has a bit of an Island vibe that is so inviting. Rema and Don Toliver both kill it on this instrumental. They both sing with such vibrant tones that match the feeling of the instrumental so well. ‘Secondhand’ has quickly become a favorite for me, and is an underrated highlight of this record. 

ALL THE SIGNS FEAT. TEEZO TOUCHDOWN

Anything that Teezo Touchdown is a part of is usually a highlight for me. ‘All The Signs’ is another example of that. ‘All The Signs’ is a song that is unlike anything else on this record. It is hard to describe the sound of this song, because it is sort of all over the place. This song really feels like a two-parter. At times, it feels like glitchy underground Electronic music; at others, it feels like R&B Trap. Throughout the song, the production is constantly changing, which keeps me super engaged as a listener. This song is all over the place, but that is what makes it cool. Vocally, ‘All The Signs’ is one of the most riveting tracks on the record. I really like how Don and Teezo push themselves and each other on this one. It makes for a captivating and engaging experience. ‘All The Signs’ is probably the weirdest song on this record, but it really works for what it is. 

EXCAVATOR

If there is any song that feels like a hit from this record which feels pretty typical for one would expect from Don Toliver, it is ‘Excavator.’ Compared to most of my other picks for this list, ‘Excavator’ does not necessarily have a sound that stands out. In fact, this one pretty much feels like typical Houston R&B Trap music. But that is okay, because it is very good for what it is. The melody for this one is dark and Trippy. It has that cold and atmospheric sound Don initially became known for. Don Toliver has a pretty noticeable flow and tone for himself on this one. This one has the kind of sound that made so many people start loving him to begin with. I could see ‘Excavator’ being a sleeper hit because it is so similar to some of his other hits. 

GEMSTONE

Going into this record, I definitely expected more of the scary, heavy metal elements we got on Don Toliver’s last record. Although a lot of the album strays away from this, ‘Gemstone’ totally leans back into that feeling. If someone were to tell me that this song was recorded at the same time as his last record, I would probably believe them; it would fit right in. At only 2:01, this song packs a hell of a punch. It is easily one of(if not the most) intense songs on this record. The melody that drives this song is so ominous and huge. It sounds like something that would come out of a horror movie. The bass on this track is so heavy and the beat feels like it is crashing, adding to the foreboding feeling of the song. Don Toliver sings with an abrupt flow and emphatic tone, which adds to the larger-than-life feeling this track has. ‘Gemstone’ may be one of the shorter tracks here, but it is as impactful as anything on the record. 

OPPOSITE

There is a certain element to the melody and hook that drives this track that immediately attracted me to this one as a listener. When listening to ‘Opposite,’ it is very reminiscent of a popular song by Don Toliver’s mentor. The instrumental and some of the vocals on the hook sound a lot like Travis Scott’s ‘Fe!n.’ Now, from what I can find, ‘Opposite’ does not straight-up sample ‘Fe!n,’ but you can’t convince me that they don’t sound very similar. Like the song it takes inspiration from, ‘Opposite’ has a very dark and harsh tone to it. The instrumentation is very heavy and dark. This track has a reverberating bass line that shakes me to the core when I listen to it. Don Toliver’s vocals on this track certainly match the feeling of the instrumental. His flow is fierce, and his tone has a lot of force as well. ‘Opposite’ is a high-key banger with a bit of a nostalgic element that can get any club jumping when it comes on. 

Going into this record, I expected Don Toliver to take a lot of risks and really push the envelope. As I mentioned above, his last two records each saw Don Toliver go in directions that one would probably not expect from him. Love Sick was a quirky R&B Electronic Trap album, while HARDSTONE PSYCHO was a brash Metal-Trap record. OCTANE does have some aspects of both of those projects on it. It also saw Don Toliver revert to what he was known for early in his career on several songs. This album kind of feels like a mish-mash sonically of what Don Toliver has done throughout his career to this point. He kind of made a compilation of everything he has become known for, but did so in a more experimental way in each instance. I think that the highs on this album are very high. There are several songs that I know I will be coming back to frequently. I feel like at some point, Don really pushes himself sonically on this record. This is especially true in the moments where he goes in that Heavy Metal and weird Electro-R&B direction. There are also a couple of bangers with that typical Don sound, as I pointed out. There is a bit too much filler on this record, though. I feel like if it were shortened by about 5 songs or so, some of the others would have been even more impactful. Of course, as one would assume, Don Toliver’s vocals throughout OCTANE are great. He has proven himself to be one of the top vocalists in Hip Hop many times in the past, and he does so once again on this album. Overall, I would say OCTANE is more consistent than HARDSTONE PSYCHO, but not as ambitious. It is probably similar in ambition to Love Sick, but not as succinct and steady. I would not say it is a major step back, but it is also not a step forward. Regardless of its overall quality, OCTANE does have a lot to love. I know that I will be listening to several songs from this record in the future, which makes it good enough.