The album’s rollout was fairly standard for a Brockhampton project. The boys released four singles, all accompanied by stylized music videos, prior to the August 23rd release date. The first three were oddball combinations of the experimental aspects of iridescence and the melodic production from the SATURATION era. However, the final single “NO HALO,” a sobering investigation on the realities of self-fulfillment, explored a new sound for the group entirely, and was far more telling of what GINGER would entail.
The track features solemn acoustic guitar riffs that layer on top of each other as the song progresses and a plethora of elusive, atmospheric synths; the production is subtle in contrast to their previous singles, but it works in a beautiful way. On the lyrical front, each members dishes out a verse that challenges their respective demons head-on. Joba masterfully confesses his struggles with religion & faith, while Merlyn Wood relays his anxieties about “running out of options.” The track has an aura of uncertainty about it, and the result is soul-stirring.
On August 23rd, BROCKHAMPTON released the entirety of GINGER under RCA Records. At 12 tracks and 44 minutes, one could easily argue that it’s the group’s tightest album yet. Better yet, the album also features performances from a whole new cast of characters—joining frequent collaborator Ryan Beatty are singer-songwriter Deb Never, UK rapper slowthai, and newcomer Victor Roberts, who pours his heart out during a moving anecdote on the album’s closing track.
As stated before, this record is unlike anything BROCKHAMPTON has put out in the past; while iridescence was certainly a darker moment in the group’s discography, GINGER gives listeners a project that is somber from start to finish, save for a handful of funky bangers in the front half of the tracklist. “BOY BYE” sees producers Jabari Manwa, Romil Hemnani, and Kiko Merley returning to their SATURATION era tendencies, arranging ricocheting plucks and buoyant 808s under a series of rapid-fire verses from each member.
“ST. PERCY,” easily the hardest & most chaotic song on the tracklist, features extremely confident verses from each member featured. Rappers Matt Champion & Dom McClennon flow effortlessly over a super distorted bassline, while Bearface, who typically croons over the more melodic elements of a beat, lands one of his most charismatic verses yet. Finally, Wood closes out the track with a charged, yelpy outro—one of his zaniest performances to date.
Now, aside from these tracks and a couple of mid-tempo cyphers, GINGER is an austere look into the group’s struggles with fame, self-acceptance, and the trust issues they’ve faced since their parting with Ameer Vann. Anything that wasn’t addressed on iridescence finds its way onto this record, and the entire runtime is extremely grounded in reality, as even the highs of the album have their dark sides (I didn’t even bring up the lyrics on “BOY BYE”).
