Rating: 4/5
Relevancy is a concept that many artists must grapple with early in their careers. Brockhampton’s aptly titled ‘Saturation’ series was an attempt to take this challenge head on by saturating the industry with their music. ‘BOOGIE’ is the first song in the tracklist and also the first single from the album. ‘BOOGIE’ is clearly an anthem: a very memorable one at that. The song is chaotic with fat, yet funky beats and a looping siren in the background. It’s wild, but more than just a banger. In the chorus, rapped by Kevin Abstract, he talks about being dismissed and being knocked down, but getting back up. It’s easy to root for the underdog and it’s what makes the boyband so appealing.
The fear is often that when an album starts so strong, it has peaked. Fortunately, ‘ZIPPER’ is the ideal comedown to the sugar rush of BOOGIE. The droning siren accommodates the listener into the next song without creating the disarray that’s felt in ‘BOOGIE’. ‘ZIPPER’ is the unmistakable Brockhampton sound; Joba and Merlyn nail their verses. The introspective ‘JOHNNY’ follows, each member contributing with a verse.
SATURATION III begins to slow in tempo, hitting a lull at ‘HOTTIE’. Things pick up with ‘SISTER/NATION’ again, starting with the blaring of Merlyn that harkens to ‘HEAT’ from SATURATION I. ‘SISTER/NATION’ even treats its listeners to a bonus Roberto line. SISTER is pacier and grittier, which is rejuvenating. ‘NATION’ mellows the listener out again. At this point Ameer Van’s recognizable flow can get a bit monotonous as it doesn’t change much from song to song. ‘RENTAL’ and ‘STAINS’ definitely give off a sense of finality, which Roberto reaffirms (in Spanish) in the former. ‘RENTAL’ feels more romantic, while ‘STAINS’ is more serendipitous.
The finale of the album is an acoustic ballad, clearly the input of Kevin Abstract. As the guitar riff fades out, there’s a final Ameer verse, less monotonous thanks to the singing of Kevin in the background. ‘TEAM’ gets the perfect ending as it closes with the opening beat from ‘HEAT’ in Saturation I.
Brockhampton are astoundingly consistent in their Saturation series and the third and final one puts them on the map. The third one is easily the most listenable, as it is well mixed and has cleaner production. SATURATION III has little if no low points at all and does not suffer from starting with a song so epic as BOOGIE.
Image Credit: brckhmptn