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.
