These past couple of months have been explosive with hit new albums from reputable artists like SZA with SOS, Metro Boomin with Heroes & Villains, and Gorillaz with Cracker Island. Among these major artists dropping killer new albums is Lil Yachty with Let’s Start Here., which brings a whole new sound to his discography. It’s a pretty recent album that was released on Jan. 27, 2023 and has been received well according to the 8.7 rating Metacritic has given it. He explores with “experimental jazz and psychedelic rock” says Rolling Stone, which brings me to say it’s a hot new album that everyone should take the time to listen to.
The first song, “the BLACK seminole.,” is the perfect introduction to the rest of the album as it sets the stage for the vibes about to come your way. He begins with a synth sound that leads into a more rock instrumental with drums, bass, guitar, and what sounds like an organ. Right from the beginning, this album feels more mature than some of his previous work especially when his vocals start and he immediately states the name of the song. A majority of this introduction song is rock instrumentals with heavy electric guitar solos that alternate in tone throughout the song. This musical composition has a way of changing your emotions as you listen to the highs and lows of the different parts. He also introduces his more psychedelic aspect in the first song as the guitar fades and leaves us with soft guitar, piano and electric sounds; which is followed by an unexpected bass drop and heavy drums. He does a wonderful job of setting his audience up for what’s to come in the rest of the album.
The transitions are another reason to love this album. Most of the songs seamlessly switch from one to the next in a way that makes you question if you’ve gone to the next song yet. This is a great ode to the intro song as it has that similar feel within one song, so the setup is meant to be cohesive. Producing like this makes listening to the album that much better because of how smoothly you can listen to it all the way through without abrupt transitions. A few notable ones are from “the ride-” to “running out of time” and, from “pRETTy” to “:(failure(:.” It also helps you get lost in the music as you let the songs progress naturally while listening. This is why it’s crucial to enjoy the album in order at least once to have the full experience of the talent that went into making it.
He has a great balance of high pace, high-energy songs like “drive ME crazy!” and “sHouLd I B?” and deep, emotional songs like “paint THE sky” and “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” In this way, he is able to give you the experience of a psychedelic trip by altering your emotions throughout the album. The transitions help with this effect as they seamlessly switch you from feeling to feeling. For instance, “WE SAW THE SUN!” moving to “drive ME crazy!” follows this pattern and drifts your perception of the world to follow the musical flow.
Overall, Lil Yachty’s new album has many complex attributes that I feel make it a hot new album that blessed the beginnings of 2023. His new musical direction shocked fans, including myself, as it followed his previous hit song “Poland;” which was quite a different feel from this album. His plays with new composition separate him from other artists in his field. This album classifies as an alternative with notes of rock, something different from his usual rap cadence. With all this being said, I think that Let’s Start Here. is a must-listen that will leave you feeling something new.
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