The release of Jack Harlow’s debut studio album Thats What They All Say officially gave him a name in hip hop, with features such as Big Sean, Lil Baby, and Lil Wayne; the album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 in its first week and went platinum in the US.
By 2022, Harlow had people around the world on the edge of their seats awaiting the release of his sophomore studio album, Come Home the Kids Miss You. Even with “First Class” being a viral sensation and Jack’s classic, smooth lyricism describing his rise to fame, Come Home the Kids Miss You was full of disappointments for me, despite massive features like Drake, Justin Timberlake, and production by Pharrell Williams. In this article, I rank my favorites and least favorites on the album.
MY Bottom three
(Dis)honorable Mention: “Movie Star” ft. Pharrell Williams
Despite that “Movie Star” is one of my favorites on the album, simply for the verse: “I’m just so inspired by the way you wear that thong,” it’s a bad song. The beat resembles a retro video game, but one where you’re constantly dying. Pharrell’s vocals in the chorus are mediocre; the beat switch-up in the last 40 seconds is not cohesive with the rest of the song at all and is made worse by what sounds like someone (an animal?) crying in pain in the background.
3. “Parent Trap” featuring Justin Timberlake
“Parent Trap” is in the bottom three because of the letdown that is the Justin Timberlake feature. JT gave us “Mirrors,” “Cry Me a River,” “SexyBack,” and “Summer Love,” but the only thing he gave us on this track was a shy falsetto-sung chorus that lasts twenty seconds before he starts making DJ-Esque “wiki-wiki” sounds in the background. I don’t know whether to blame Jack or Justin for this one.
2. “Talk of the Town”
The barely 90-second intro to the album is yet another flex of Jack’s new fame, but not in a humble or grateful way. Unlike “First Class,” which touches on the topic of glamour while still reflecting on and appreciating his past, “Talk of the Town” is just another repetitive song about Jack’s new whip, his unavailability (“Now you gotta reach out to Chirs to talk to me now”), and his Grammy.
1. “Young Harleezy”
Over a GarageBand drum beat, Harlow spends the most underwhelming song on the album bragging about being famous and too busy to keep up with girls on tour. An interlude by Snoop Dogg preceding a forced beat switch makes it semi-enjoyable, but most of the lyrics are forgettable. Harlow spends most of the song asking us, “Am I handsome enough?” The answer is obviously yes, but even Jack’s good looks can’t save him from the boring piano of “Young Harleezy,” which I’m almost 100% sure no one has ever called him.
MY TOP Three
3. “First Class”
How could a Fergie sample not make the top three? Jack made a bold move by sampling an iconic song, but he did it perfectly. The sample blends beautifully with the beat, and interrupting Fergie’s spelling of “G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S” was really clever. I love how he reflects on his fame and the “view” from the top but still mentions wanting to work hard for his family (“I got visions of my mom saying ‘Wait this house mine?’”). In his last album, the song, “Keep it Light” features audio from a video his mother sent him. I felt like this album was lacking that touch from his personal life we found so endearing before, but we get a little taste of it here.
2. “Nail Tech”
In his attempt to follow the success of “Industry Baby” with Lil Nas X, Jack again raps over percussion and trumpets in one of the most hype songs on the album. This song is exactly what I feel the album was missing: the upbeat, hype Jack we got on previous tracks like “WHATS POPPIN” and “Tyler Herro.” I like the “flexing” in this song as opposed to other tracks because it matches the vibe of the instrumentals and makes you wish you were hanging both legs out of somebody’s Tesla, too.
1. “Lil Secret”
It was hard to choose the “best” song out of an album full of mediocre songs, but this one makes me blush. It sounds the most like old Jack; I like how “Lil Secret” gives us an insight into his personal life, rather than surface-level talk of all the girls he gets. His freestyle from his iconic “Chicken Shop Date” with online persona Amelia Dimoldenberg made the song my favorite (the lyrics “I make you laugh and you say to me that you can’t stand me” make up for the fact that this girl is his sidepiece).
Despite the disappointment that was this album, I’m still excited about what Jack has in store next. I definitely still jam to it on the way to class, so he has to be doing something right. The next thing we can expect from the rap star is his leading role in the remake of White Men Can’t Jump, which I’m definitely looking forward to seeing. Possible review incoming…?
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!