Album Review: Brockhampton, Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine

Back in March, founding member Kevin Abstract, tweeted, “2 Brockhampton albums in 2021 - these will be our last,” signaling the end of the groundbreaking hip-hop collective. If they stay true to Abstract’s promise, Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine serves as the precursor to Brockhampton’s final project; they appear unfazed by the high stakes. Instead, the group chooses to go out with a bang, merging boom-bap hip-hop with the grandiosity and anything-is-possible genre-bending of My-Beautiful-Dark-Twisted-Fantasy era Kanye West. Though such heights stay just out of reach, Roadrunner is an impressive and enjoyable listen that both boosts the expectations for the forthcoming, final album, and sets the stages for the anticipated solo careers to follow soon after.

The album’s strongest moments make for bouncy posse cuts and continued expansions into club-tinged pop. Though its 12 tracks are chock full of big-name features like JPEGMafia, A$AP Rocky, and Shawn Mendes, the album keeps the spotlight aimed at the group’s in-house emcees — they seem to relish in the pressure. “Buzzcut” has Abstract keeping up with a feisty Danny Brown verse, while on “Chain On,” JPEGMafia’s verbal acrobatics bring out the best in Dom McLennon: “Hangin' from a chandelier in Babylon / We don't believe in white gods they gettin' rattled on,” he dexterously raps over a playful synth loop. As far as bars go, Brockhampton sounds hungry and full of life, dominating the space between club-ready hooks and trunk-rattling beats.

Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine hits its stride with spacious, rap-oriented bangers. But the gang keeps things interesting by throwing in a couple of variant sonic palettes into the mix, including dance-pop and moody alternative rock. While out of left field, “I’ll Take You On” (featuring Charlie Wilson of the Gap Band) succeeds as a disco-ball lit love song. On “The Light'' and “What’s the Occasion?,” Joba’s earnestness makes up for his lack of lyrical finesse, especially as paired with the songs’ downcast, guitar-driven beats. While these experiments inject variety into the tracklist, a steady drip of West-Coast influenced rap is the album’s bread and butter. With their eerie synths and urgent G-funk squeals, “Windows” and “Don’t Shoot Up the Party” would fit nicely on a Chronic 2001 playlist.

Powered by a smooth R&B melodicism, the 2019 hit “Sugar” pushed Brockhampton closer to house-hold-name territory (the track has 332 million Spotify streams and counting). Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine attempts to dominate the mainstream even further, though maybe not in the way you would expect. While the album has hooks aplenty, Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine is an expansive, return-to-form rap project that highlights the lyrical and beat-making skills of Brockhampton’s soon-to-be free agents. It’s not their swan song since their final album will be released later this year; but if it were, it wouldn’t be a bad note to go out on.

Check out Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine on Bandcamp below.