The infamous self-proclaimed boyband, BROCKHAMPTON, has just dropped two new singles almost in secrecy earlier this week. The two new singles, “N.S.T.” and “Things Can’t Stay The Same” were only released onto BROCKHAMPTON’s YouTube Channel and can be found amongst the SoundCloud world as well – but they have yet to fully release these singles onto more the more mainstream Apple Music and Spotify.
This makes these two new singles feel like a secret and gift purely for the BROCKHAMPTON fan base to find and enjoy. Although these two new singles came as a sudden surprise to most fans of BROCKHAMPTON – it seems that when summer emerges, with it comes more new music from BROCKHAMPTON.
BROCKHAMPTON’s sound and tone to their music embodies the essence and energy of summer itself – these two new singles are no exceptions. The band has had its rough patches over the past couple of years – from losing former band member Ameer Vann and re-claiming and re-defining their sound after that loss.
BROCKHAMPTON is based on the foundation of brotherhood itself. Former member Ameer Vann was accused of allegations of sexual and domestic abuse from multiple women back in 2018, and thus the group made the immediate decision to kick him out of the group. A lot of the members of BROCKHAMPTON had been childhood friends, while the rest found themselves meeting one another on a Kanye West Fan Forum.
Once the group was established, they all made the decision to leave behind whatever life they had prior and move into a house together in order to devote their days to making music together. It was not just the act of having to face the shocking truth of the allegations that were revealed of their band member and then the process of having to mourn the loss of that friendship – but the pressure from the public and fans at the time was amounting. People wondered if BROCKHAMPTON would still be able to make the same quality of music they were making before without the dominant influence of Vann.
Their past two albums put all of those worries to shame. “Iridescence” and “GINGER” departed from the more rowdy and rough energy they embodied throughout the Saturation Trilogy and transitioned into more melodic, experimental riffs. These two new singles sound as if BROCKHAMPTON has miraculously merged those two very divergent sounds together harmoniously.
The track “N.S.T,” which stands for N***** Stay Talkin, was produced by members Kevin Abstract and Romil Hemnani. The beat is carried by an electronic synthesizer that sounds as if it is whining in the background as it snakes its way through the heavy high-hat drums and lively horns. Member, Matt Champion steals the show on this track, flowing at a rapid pace so that he matches the energetic nature of the beat.
He raps, “I’m going fast you ready, I keep the celly on silent. I hope the future is vibrant, for all my brothers, all of my kin.” Member, Bearface also has his own spotlight on him in this track as well, glistening and floating his way into the chorus.
Throughout these two new tracks, BROCKHAMPTON is contemplating the notion of time itself. Their lyrics act as a time machine, continually switching between reflecting on the past and trying to keep the faith for the future.
On the track, “Things Can’t Stay the Same” the beat is produced by members Kiko, Romil, and Kevin Abstract. The song starts out with soulful vocals that have been warped and pitched higher. Those vocals end up being chopped up, carrying the foundation of the beat along with intense snare drums and simple electronic chords that are only illuminated in between the pauses of the bars.
Members Matt Champion and Kevin Abstract tag teamed this track, passing the mic back and forth like a relay. Abstract leads us into the track with the introspection of their beginning days of being a band, making music as a collective in the summertime before all the fame.
He raps, “Summertime, I got my head out the window. Your car smell like weed, it’s that good Texas Indo. Back when nobody believed in me except for you.”
Champion is more defiant in his delivery of the bars as each word he spits seems to bounce off the drums in perfect synchronicity. While Abstract is looking back at the past, Champion has his eyes on the road ahead of him. He seems to be continually questioning what makes him feel happy and loved as if he is on a quest towards maintaining a sense of fulfillment and growth for the future.
He raps, “What do I want out of life, what do I bleed for? Wish I could focus more on what I get my cheer from. Who really know you, who really love you? I wanna see.”
BROCKHAMPTON has seemed to mirror this need for introspection of time that they are expressing in their lyrics in the ways in which the sonic translation of these two new singles combine their roots with the more recent instrumentation they have been experimenting with. In this way, BROCKHAMPTON has created a way to blend the past and the present of their discography in just these two singles – which begs us to question what the future holds for BROCKHAMPTON?
Apparently, fans can expect two new BROCKHAMPTON albums to be released sometime in 2020. Member, Kevin Abstract teased the album drops during a live stream. Be on the lookout for those projects to drop at some point – but these two new singles showcase BROCKHAMPTON, a group who has never feared growth and experimenting with new sounds now honoring the journey that has brought them here while continuously prioritizing evolution.
