Iridescence (studio album) by Brockhampton

I do not get the hate toward Iridescence. This, to me, is Brockhampton’s finest work to date, and is also the best album of 2018, which I found to be one of the best years for music of the decade.

There is a overwhelming feeling of unfilled potential here, there is a lot o tracks that could have been classics, but somewhere in the middle way through they lose their grip.

Feels like It was done way more divided as a group as less focused than their SATURATION trilogy. It kind of worries me, I don't want them to break-up.

A very good album with a fantastic sound that gets better as it goes (as shown in the track ratings above). Given this three listens and can't pull a lot of the tracks apart from one another in spots, but perhaps it will reveal even more of itself on future listens.

I honestly don't now how to start this off, but I'll try anyways. Iridescence is really good, and I friggin love Brockhampton, but I do have some gripes with this album. I don't feel like the guys played off each other as well as the Saturation trilogy. For example, in 'Boogie', Matt Champion's verse is great on its own, and then Joba's verse is great on its own. Although, Matt Champion makes the build up fantastic for Joba's verse, cause at least to me, it feels like a build up. It still has some moments like that, but not nearly as much. I love 'Weight', 'J'ouvert', 'Honey', 'Tonya', 'District', 'New Orleans', and most of the rest are great too. It feels like a more mature album, and it feels different compared to their earlier works, but in a fresh and unique kind of way. And I also really like that Bear Face is more prominent on this, and he does a great job. It feels like it has a lot of focus, but it doesn't at the same time, and I rarely say that for an album. These guys are so talented, fun, and interesting, and it still shows on this. While I like it more than Saturation I, I do honestly prefer Saturation 2 and 3. Mainly cause (like previously mentioned), I think they played off each other a lot better, and both albums felt like they had more more stand out tracks (not the two albums combined though). This is very long and I'm new to this website so I'm sorry for this being dang long, also Ameer is gone, gosh darn it.

From mdbaxter 10/17/2018 15:31

A pretty strong album though I feel like some of the album could use some more depth. There are songs with amazing halves and just decent halves. On the other hand, the voice manipulation is fantastic and Joba really shines at points.
Favorite song: District

Wish there were more standout tracks. Some of these songs haven't been fully fleshed out.

Favorite tracks: BERLIN, WEIGHT, DISTRICT, J'OUVERT, TONYA

B+

From billymkay 09/28/2018 21:49

I Think people are stretching their thoughts on this one. The guys have clearly matured over the past year, and this album is good in the same sense that Chance the Rapper going from Acid Rap to Coloring Book was good, but its lacking what made Brockhampton fun to listen to in the first place.

You can tell the members are finally finding themselves individually. Joba and Merlyn do a hell of a job on this thing, and I was even surprised that Bearface was on more than 2 songs, and not just singing. But as a whole, it doesn't look like they're complementing each other as smoothly as they did in the Saturation Trilogy.

This is just my opinion after my first few listens, and obviously they're subject to change. I do hope that the rest of the trilogy works out more cohesively than this one album does though. I shouldn't be forcing myself to like the albums, and that's what I appreciated about the Saturation trilogy.

From Boltzmann 09/25/2018 12:34

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Iridescence is both the boybands most experimental and emotional album experience to date. Not a single song doesn’t contribute to the album as a whole. I love the grime and glitchy production on bangers like “Berlin” and “District”. The heavy and personal verses on songs like “Weight” and “Tonya” delve on topics including Brockhamptons sudden rise to fame and the departure of member Ameer Vann. This album is their most diverse and the vibe definitely takes some getting used to compared to their Saturation trilogy but the ultimate result is a consistent euphoric experience. This is a great start to their new trilogy “The Best Years of Our Lives”, which i anticipate to be the unusual and unpredictable counterpart to the poppy and banger heavy “Saturation” trilogy.

Fav Tracks:
Berlin
Something About Him
Weight
District
J’ouvert
Honey
San Marcos
Tonya
Fabric

From HoldenM 09/24/2018 06:54

Though I feel roughly the same about this album as I did on my first listen, it's interesting to peel back the layers and see how much is going on after a few more spins.

While there's nothing quite as good as the best songs from the Saturation trilogy, Iridescence as a bolder, more intricate record. The beats are idiosyncratic, the production is punchy, and the songwriting is sprawling and unpredictable. And while the skits and interludes that took up so much of Saturation weren't terrible, they've been cut, save for one track, and that subtraction streamlines the flow in a big way.

Lyrically and conceptually, iridescent is probably the best way to describe what's happening here. Iridescence is a lot more focused, talking a lot about depression, suicide, the consequences of fame, and the truth of who people are at our highest and lowest points. There's a lot of introspection and a lot of resentment towards others on this thing. And while it's hard to say any of this is as realized as it could be, Iridescence is certainly honest about its frustrations.

Again, while it's hard to pick highlights--"New Orleans," "Honey," and "Fabric" are maybe the closet the album gets to the quality of what Brockhampton can really do--Iridescence is almost certainly their strongest album. It's dynamic, inventive, and impassioned, and quite possibly the hip hop record of 2018.