iridescence

“We were so inspired last year,” Kevin Abstract told Beats 1 host Julie Adenuga about the making of the sprawling LA mega-group BROCKHAMPTON’s fourth album. “I can’t really explain where the inspiration was coming from. Success messes with the way artists create at times.” So does adversity: Ameer Vann, who was literally the face of the self-styled boy band’s three previous projects, was ousted in 2018 amid allegations of domestic abuse. While he was regarded as one of the group’s best rappers, BROCKHAMPTON has a particularly deep bench; rhyming skill is hardly the only draw. Assembled in part via a Kanye West fan-club message board, the group’s 14 members hail from different corners of the United States, save one from Belfast. The evolving musicality, divergent perspectives and inspirations, and emotional honesty that sent the collective into orbit are all present, if not elevated, on their major-label debut *Iridescence*. An abundance of vocal distortion that sometimes makes it difficult to identify individual contributors lends a sense of cohesion, and underneath it, the album plays as a beautiful hodgepodge of genres. There’s the traditional gangsta rap bounce of “NEW ORLEANS,” the UK grime-inspired charge of “WHERE THE CASH AT,” and an acoustic guitar ballad in “SAN MARCOS,” all emblematic of a group whose ambition is commensurate with its head count. “We’re nowhere near where we wanna be,” said Abstract. “I’m tryna do Travis Scott numbers.”

The group’s fourth record is a pummeling collection of mosh-pit conductors, crowded songs, and fleeting moments of delicacy.

Of course Cher pulls off the ABBA tribute Dancing Queen. Elsewhere BROCKHAMPTON continues to reveal new shades on Iridescence, and The Joy Formidable’s Aaarth boasts its most off-kilter anthems yet. Plus, we take a look at Chicago indie-rocker Lillie West’s second outing as Lala Lala.

Hip-hop's hottest boyband prove their mettle on exceptional new album

In ‘Iridescence’, Brockhampton find their own truthful rebirth. And, regrouped and renewed, they're not going anywhere

By confronting the bumps they’ve found in the road over the last year, Brockhampton have found a new sense of unity, and it shows that the band possess a truly special voice.

Continuing the meteoric rise started in 2017 with their Saturation trilogy, California boy band crew Brockhampton returned with chart-topping fourth effort Iridescence.

The rise of California-based rap group Brockhampton has been both incredible and tumultuous. Considering their debut album 'Saturation' was

BROCKHAMPTON offer a lot of cool ideas without developing them all that much in our review of their trilogy-starting 'IRIDESCENCE' 

Brockhampton - Iridescence review: Is you dancin all alone? Is you dancin for someone?