With that introduction, let's talk about the mixtape itself. It's very interesting trying to think of how i want to talk about this, just because of what it is. This mixtape is in no way bad, Earl basically creates an intro to his persona portrayed in much of his music. The beats and lyrics are dark with this teenage twist, since it's quite obvious that much of it is unrealistic and rebellious, most blatantly "epaR". This journey through Earls mind is scary in a strangely understandable way (Or maybe i'm just weird).
Not everything that Earl says is completely ridiculous and in outer space, rather the more you listen the more sense it makes. The reason this is interesting is that Earl likes to rhyme sounds together, and does it rather well, especially when his lines seem to incorporate a lot of concepts that all somehow tie into the same topic. There are few dull lines with all the outlandish verses, and it's hard to point to a specific example since almost every track is like this.
Earl reveals all his dark thoughts, in a way that's reminiscent to old Eminem, in multiple ways. The flow's changing from song to song, and how he approaches a track is very distinct. Which actual is the best way i can describe this project, one big experiment. Despite this, Earl feels like an older cat who's found a sound that almost fits him perfectly.
Almost every song feels different from each other sonically , with a dark, grunge-like undertone. The only way i can really describe it is plain and simply Odd Future's sound. Sometimes it's poppy like "Kill", "Luper" and "epaR", other times it's gloomy like "Moonlight". I'm having trouble describing this just because of how different it feels to me, where i can only really compare it other Odd Future artists.
Speaking of the GolfWang, another alias of OF, Earl has three featured artists, two of which are part of the collective. In the first and last feature, "Couch" and "Pigions", is the lead member of Wolf Gang, Tyler the Creator under the pseudonym's of Ace Creator and Wolf Haley. Tyler, in both songs, shows off his lyrical ability in the same dark manner as Earl and, like Sweatshirt, does just as well while adding some humor to his verses, which is rarely seen in Earl. The second feature is long-time Odd Future collaborator, Vince Staples. In "epaR" he shows his lyrical ability next to Earl's and, although he didn't outdo Earl, was great to hear, even though the lyrics were almost as dark. The final feature is another OF member, Hodgy Beats, in the track "Moonlight". Just like the other features Hodgy sounded great on the production and fit his purpose very well.
This is the type of review i'm constantly thinking about while typing, and will continue to question myself after i release it. It's hard to say what i want without just summarizing it all into one spot. Basically, this album is dope, from the production to the lyrics. There's never a dull moment, rather my only problem is that the pacing is rapid considering that this mixtape is only 10 tracks, two of which are either skits or skit-like. But for eight tracks to come across so diverse yet so united is very impressive.
Earl hit the ground running with this mixtape and, while not everyone will enjoy this mixtape or appreciate the sound, gained mad respect for how well it was arranged. It's reasons like this that Earl remains my favorite OF member and why i'm syched to hear whatever else he releases.
Rating: Must Buy (If it wasn't already free)
Stand-Out Tracks: All of them (Earl, Couch, Kill, Luper, epaR, Moonlight, Pigions, Stapleton)
