Since the impeccable and infectious “Saturation” trilogy of 2017, BROCKHAMPTON has amassed a large, dedicated fan base with their emerging style of pop infused hip-hop. The group’s outlook was exciting for not just their fans, but for the future of music. A creative and fresh take on hip-hop with heavy helpings of personality and chemistry captured the group’s mainstream relevancy and a $15 million RCA deal.

Unfortunately, their success has been bittersweet with personal struggles, including the removal of key member Ameer Vann after sexual misconduct allegations and the group’s anxiety inflicted by the pressures of fame. 

BROCKHAMPTON’s follow-up to the “Saturation” trilogy, “iridescence,” debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, earning them their first chart-topping album, but fell short of reaching the same critical reception of their previous releases. 

Something felt different about BROCKHAMPTON. As the supposed first entry into a new trilogy of albums titled “The Best Years Of Our Lives,” the follow-up had the difficult challenge of living up to the hype of their previous acclaimed releases without the help of arguably their best rapper in Ameer Vann.

“iridescence,” even with the preface of high expectations, still reached a level of quality higher than most hip-hop released today, despite reading as more of an obligation to fans and a new record label than a successfully executed creative project. The album took BROCKHAMPTON to new emotional explorations and heights, but lacked in their signature personality and chemistry. 

Their next effort, “GINGER,” which is followed by a hiatus and a Kevin Abstract solo album, isn’t exactly a return to form for the boys, but an admirable step forward. 

Easily their moodiest release yet, BROCKHAMPTON removes many of their playful quirks and hardcore hip-hop elements in exchange for a dreary pop and R&B setting. The group presents themselves on “GINGER” as more dysfunctional than ever before, compellingly speaking to their current emotional state. 

The first three tracks on the album contain stand out performances from each of the group’s members, with “SUGAR” being one of BROCKHAMPTON’s catchiest efforts as a pop-rap track. These tracks allude to a fully fleshed out cohesive projected created by the well-oiled machine we know BROCKHAMPTON can be, but the track lineup eventually turns to a cluttered but still enjoyable collection. 

BROCKHAMPTON’s talented production team still outstandingly compliments the various styles of the large group, but on “GINGER” the different stylistic pieces rarely find a way to fit perfectly.

The chemistry begins to break down with member Dom McLennon outshining his peers on every single track, and underwhelming efforts from the group’s hook-crafter Kevin Abstract.

Many tracks have members each aiming for different emotional beats and lyrical ideas, resulting in the clunky “I BEEN BORN AGAIN,” for example. Instead of riffing off each other, each member of BROCKHAMPTON seems to have different creative directions in mind, leading to awkward verse transitions and the listener to prefer specific sections of songs over others. 

However, “GINGER” finds BROCKHAMPTON at a more cohesive creative headspace sonically than ‘iridescence,” with a focus on more pop and R&B inspirations. Overall, “GINGER” is sure to please BROCKHAMPTON fans and adds enough highlights to their catalog to make it a worthy listening experience. 

Final Verdict: 7/10