ERYS

On the sequel to his official LP debut , the now-one-named takes a similar approach to his genre-blurring style, whirling a creative blend of styles around a hip-hop nucleus on the hardened . On this album's extended journey, the young rapper dabbles with cloud rap haziness, dark trap, atmospheric electronic production, and even some raw punk rock, placing himself in a similar universe with , , and . As songs weave in and out of focus, track boundaries are erased as abruptly switches styles and tempos, keeping listeners on their feet as swirls and churns for over an hour of runtime. No matter the method of delivery, the spirit of sticks with two primary modes: tortured and emotive or defiant and confrontational. Mirroring 's four-part "BLUE" opener, kicks off with the "PINK" suite. Joined by sister (who returns for the gorgeous "Summertime in Paris") and producer , this prologue alone is worthy of its own EP, a mind-churning abstract that distills 's overall ethos in under 14 minutes. From there, is joined by on the menacing highlight "NOIZE"; on the -esque "Mission"; and on the serviceable "Chateau." even managed to recruit his idol, , for the pulsing standout "On My Own." While occasionally drags over its seventeen17 tracks, it's an immersive experience that finds at his most vulnerable, processing his messy young adult feelings into a relatable and sonically exciting way. ~ Neil Z. Yeung