Travis Scott
Utopia


4.0
excellent

Review

by anarchistfish USER (48 Reviews)
August 1st, 2023 | 92 replies


Release Date: 07/28/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: The OST to smoking a fat fucking joint and monging out

Utopia is Travis Scott's first LP in five years, and the first since the crowd crush that killed ten people at his own festival nearly two years ago. Ignoring this fact for the purposes of this review is futile when this would appear the main reason for the album's ephemerally delayed release and muted marketing. Travis has been quiet in this intervening time, with much speculation on his potential legal liabilities and the fate of his music career. Scotty won't face criminal charges but legal proceedings are sure to be complex and protracted. His personal responsibility in the disaster is questionable, but his attitude towards his fans and moshing give the impression of a fox cub with a new pair of Nikes at best. Either the man lives in a fantasy or his regard for others is abysmal. The one time Astroworld Festival is referenced on Utopia he still manages to make it about himself, though I had to check the lyrics online to make sure. That's the last time I paid attention to the lyrics, cos that's not why I listen to Travis Scott and I don't want to do that.

Travis Scott's music is the OST to smoking a fat ***ing joint and monging out. Musically, Utopia is a positive evolution of Travis's woozy hip-hop sound. The hooks aren't as immediate and as huge as on Astroworld, which would have been a tough ask in any world, but Utopia is surely Travis's most cohesive and well-tailored album yet. Production-wise, much has been made of its similarities to Yeezus – echoing that thick minimalism and crisp Rick Rubin edge – but this should go as much to the attention to detail as the timbre of the sound design. Despite running at over 73 minutes, Utopia rarely drags, sliding through club-pounders and edgy chart-flirters, filled with dark beat-switches and a buffet of A-list features expertly weaved through. The music flows well but there is a ton of variety too, and it hits more than it does not. As usual, Travis uses his voice more as an instrument a la Young Thug, than as a mode of social communication. His atmospheric turbo-tuned wails are still present, but I really enjoy the percussive element he gives here, especially in songs like "HYAENA", “CIRCUS MAXIMUS”, "LOST FOREVER" and “LOOOVE”. The beat in "SIRENS" carries itself and Drake's comeback in “MELTDOWN” is another highlight, though its inferiority to “Sicko Mode” highlights that Utopia is unlikely to be the commercial chart-stomper that was Astroworld. Frankly though, Utopia might be the better album.



Recent reviews by this author
The Weeknd Dawn FMThe Devil Wears Prada ZII
Skepta KonnichiwaDrake If You're Reading This It's Too Late
Azealia Banks Broke With Expensive TasteJMSN †Pllajë†
user ratings (149)
3.2
good


Comments:Add a Comment 
anarchistfish
August 1st 2023


30405 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

oops

Ryus
August 1st 2023


37886 Comments


nice man, wish i felt literally anything while listening to this. definitely not bad but theres really nothing about travis himself that interests me anymore

Purpl3Spartan
August 1st 2023


8998 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Nice review fam

AlexKzillion
August 1st 2023


17958 Comments


pos

checking this now forgot this dropped

auberginedreams
August 1st 2023


6632 Comments


I’m gonna sound like an old man yelling at a cloud but I just don’t understand why modern hip hop artists put so little effort into their lyrics. I know how much work goes into making music (although let’s be real Mike Dean and others probably did most of the heavy lifting on that front) so to go to all that trouble and craft songs with such ambitious production, and then just diarrhea whatever stream of consciousness nonsense first comes to mind all over it is so baffling to me. I really like the sound of a lot of modern trap but it’s difficult to get past the lyrics that sound like they were written by a 12 year old.

botb
August 1st 2023


18331 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

The highs on the this are really fun but man there is a ton of filler. There are very few people out there I wanna hear 80 mins of music from nonstop and Travis is def not one of them

JeetJeet
August 1st 2023


12435 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

This was such a letdown. There's definitely some good stuff on here but as a whole this thing is way too inconsistent in quality. Nothing here ever reaches the highs of his previous efforts. Also why the fuck is he aping Black Skinhead so hard on Circus? Come on bruh you know you can do better than that

JayEnder
August 1st 2023


21136 Comments


"I’m gonna sound like an old man yelling at a cloud but I just don’t understand why modern hip hop artists put so little effort into their lyrics."

Zoomers don't care about intelligent wordplay and what's being said, only how lit and rizzy the fire ass beats are fam, no cap.

anarchistfish
August 1st 2023


30405 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Same

Colton15
August 1st 2023


9 Comments


it's also due to the sheer quantity of lyrics in rap compared to other genres. word count is way higher

anarchistfish
August 1st 2023


30405 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

True. Maybe that's the point though. Why not rap....less

Invaderbryan
August 2nd 2023


864 Comments


His music is a crowdkiller

Purpl3Spartan
August 2nd 2023


8998 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

True

dedex
Staff Reviewer
August 2nd 2023


12830 Comments

Album Rating: 3.1 | Sound Off

"That's the last time I paid attention to the lyrics, cos that's not why I listen to Travis Scott and I don't want to do that."



lmfao yeah boi

Flashmobba
August 2nd 2023


2083 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

one of the best albums I’ve heard in a looong time, FANTASTIC production and songwriting - his role as curator is more like a conductor, amazing stuff



I used to hate this guy

MunsuLight
August 2nd 2023


726 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Is Travis always so high on the Kanye worship because it is insane how a lot of the songs have a big Kanye influence in them (the Yeezus worship in particular is not that great).



There are some extremely good songs, but so many of them are filler, it is insane



It sucks because the production feels wasted on so many tracks

Sinternet
Contributing Reviewer
August 2nd 2023


26767 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

considering travis was kanye's protege and worked a lot on yeezus thats not exactly surprising

Flashmobba
August 2nd 2023


2083 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

^thank you, people keep making the same specious argument



Kanye also worked on a bunch of these tracks, wish his verse made it onto telekinesis/future sounds

CaliggyJack
August 2nd 2023


10185 Comments


Kanye is an absolute pos but let's not pretend he isn't a genius who defined Hip Hop from the 2000's onwards.

Flashmobba
August 2nd 2023


2083 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

no bro if you’re a bad person you can’t make good music sorry



You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy