Yung Lean - Starz (2020) REVIEW
By Patrick Baker
Genre/s - Hip-Hop, Cloud Rap, Alternative, Sadcore
Other Albums/EP/Compilations:
Swedish rapper, Yung Lean (real name Jonatan Leandoer Håstad) burst onto the internet rap scene in 2013-14 with his viral hit, ‘Ginseng Strip 2002’ at the young age of 16. The track was mainly known for its video clip, which features Yung Lean donning the now infamous bucket hat, windbreaker and some New Balance sneakers. The track capitalised on the Vaporwave genre craze that was happening at the time and would launch Yung Leans’ hip hop collective ‘Sad Boys’ into the hip-hop consciousness, characterised by emotional, ethereal and dreamy production along with some absurdist lyrics. His 2014 album, Unknown Memory would take away the amateurish and home-made sound he was known for and would establish Yung Lean in the Hip-Hop genre as a semi-serious artist, and would collaborate with one of the most popular rappers at the moment, Travis Scott in the track ‘Ghosttown’. In 2016, Yung Lean would release Warlord, which marked a major stylistic change to the sound he was known for in Unknown Death 2002 and Unknown Memory, opting for a more gritty and hard-hitting approach. The album coincided with Yung Leans admission into a psychiatric hospital in 2015 whilst recording in Miami, Florida. It was revealed by Yung Lean and police records that he had been struggling with several addictions including Xanax, Cocaine and Lean (Codeine/Promethazine cough syrup mixed with soda) as well as smoking large amounts of cannabis. He became increasingly delusional and erratic, and eventually was taken to a psychiatric ward for a number of days. Yung Lean would overcome his struggles by secluding himself in the Swedish countryside along with his parents, but the style from Warlord would remain largely untouched for his future releases, if anything less abrasive. Earlier today (15/05/20), Yung Leans’ 6th studio album, Starz released after being teased for several weeks beforehand in the form of short Facebook clips showcasing snippets of tracks from the album. Starz features spacey, dreamy instrumentals as well as a heavily auto-tuned vocal performance from Yung Lean.
The opening track,
‘My Agenda’, certainly did not set the bar high, but still clearly shows the uniqueness
of Yung Lean shining through. It features a fairly ugly and brooding instrumental, as did many other tracks on the album, as well as an overly angsty lyrical performance reminiscent of Warlord. However the next track ‘Yayo’ (slang for cocaine) is one of those highs I mentioned earlier, with a gorgeous instrumental that honestly made me feel like I was
floating, and had a perfect level of auto-tune for Yung Leans’ vocals. For
me ‘Yayo’ was the Yung Lean I had been searching for, a perfect level of
stylistic evolution all while heralding back to his roots that so many know him for. The track ‘Violence’
retains Yung Leans monotone and ‘lazy’ vocals, but his flow is so much more
energetic than his usual delivery and provides for a very unexpected and quick-fire experience. One of my favourite artists, Ariel Pink (real name Ariel Marcus
Rosenburg) is featured on the track ‘Starz’, and is the lone feature on Starz, but I wouldn't of even known it was there if it were not for the title as it is so inconsequential. Starz is probably Yung Leans' most varied and unpredictable release to date, but
its still a very hit and miss experience with tracks like ‘Butterfly Paralyzed’,
‘Dogboy’ ‘Sunset Paradise’ and ‘Hellraiser’ letting the album down with hideous instrumentals, annoying vocal performances and to put it simply, are
just not up to scratch. The album ends with a melancholy note with the track 'Put Me in a Spell', probably the most emotional and genuine track from Yung Lean in his entire discography and provides the album with some more emotional depth and sombre tones. I feel as if Starz will certainly be somewhat
polarising among listeners, either you hate it or you don’t mind it. Some of the best tracks
Yung Lean has released officially are on this album, but they are dragged down by a large amount
of straight up bad songs.
Favourite Tracks
- Yayo
- Violence
- Dance in the Dark
- Acid at 7/11
- Pikachu
- Put Me in a Spell
Least Favourite Tracks
- My Agenda
- Boylife in the EU
- Outta My Head
- Starz - Ariel Pink
- Hellraiser
- Butterfly Paralyzed
- Dogboy
Related Videos from Yung Lean
Yung Lean - My Agenda (Official Video)
Yung Lean - Boylife in the EU (Official Video)
Genre/s - Hip-Hop, Cloud Rap, Alternative, Sadcore
Other Albums/EP/Compilations:
- Unknown Death 2002 (2013)
- Lavender EP (2013) *EP*
- Unknown Memory (2014)
- Warlord (2016)
- Frost God (2016) *Mixtape*
- Stranger (2017)
- Poison Ivy (2018)
Similar Artists:
Bladee, Thaiboy Digital, Ecco 2k, Whitearmour, Yung Gud, Yung Sherman, Lil Peep, $uicideboy$, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, nothing,nowhere., Bones, GothBoiClique, Lil Xan, Yung Gud, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal
 |
| OVERALL SCORE // 6.5/10 |
Swedish rapper, Yung Lean (real name Jonatan Leandoer Håstad) burst onto the internet rap scene in 2013-14 with his viral hit, ‘Ginseng Strip 2002’ at the young age of 16. The track was mainly known for its video clip, which features Yung Lean donning the now infamous bucket hat, windbreaker and some New Balance sneakers. The track capitalised on the Vaporwave genre craze that was happening at the time and would launch Yung Leans’ hip hop collective ‘Sad Boys’ into the hip-hop consciousness, characterised by emotional, ethereal and dreamy production along with some absurdist lyrics. His 2014 album, Unknown Memory would take away the amateurish and home-made sound he was known for and would establish Yung Lean in the Hip-Hop genre as a semi-serious artist, and would collaborate with one of the most popular rappers at the moment, Travis Scott in the track ‘Ghosttown’. In 2016, Yung Lean would release Warlord, which marked a major stylistic change to the sound he was known for in Unknown Death 2002 and Unknown Memory, opting for a more gritty and hard-hitting approach. The album coincided with Yung Leans admission into a psychiatric hospital in 2015 whilst recording in Miami, Florida. It was revealed by Yung Lean and police records that he had been struggling with several addictions including Xanax, Cocaine and Lean (Codeine/Promethazine cough syrup mixed with soda) as well as smoking large amounts of cannabis. He became increasingly delusional and erratic, and eventually was taken to a psychiatric ward for a number of days. Yung Lean would overcome his struggles by secluding himself in the Swedish countryside along with his parents, but the style from Warlord would remain largely untouched for his future releases, if anything less abrasive. Earlier today (15/05/20), Yung Leans’ 6th studio album, Starz released after being teased for several weeks beforehand in the form of short Facebook clips showcasing snippets of tracks from the album. Starz features spacey, dreamy instrumentals as well as a heavily auto-tuned vocal performance from Yung Lean.
Yung Lean
admittedly holds a special place in my heart, as he is one of the first
artists I was truly invested and engaged with. I recall memories of me and one
of my best mates (still one of my best mates) messing around on an oval nearby
during lunch-times listening to Yung Leans' earlier works and goofing around. I
would most definitely say that my music taste has evolved and progressed, but I’d
still find myself listening to every new Yung Lean release, ultimately let down every time that they wouldn't re-create the same atmosphere that tracks like ‘Gatorade’ and ‘Volt’ would
conjure. However, it is an undeniable fact that Yung Lean is indeed an artist
that plays by his own rules and doesn’t give an ounce of thought to what
everyone thinks of not only his musical style, but also his unique fashion sense, with him often seen with a plethora of different coloured hairs and unconventional
hairstyles, as well as his graphic heavy, nostalgic clothing and oversized suits. When I listened to Starz earlier today, I was hoping that it would recreate
that nostalgic feeling of earlier Yung Lean releases, and in some regards it
did, but in others it certainly did not. Starz is a very bipolar album, featuring
some incredibly towering highs, and seriously crashing lows. It is safe to say I
have some mixed feelings on it.
The opening track,
‘My Agenda’, certainly did not set the bar high, but still clearly shows the uniqueness
of Yung Lean shining through. It features a fairly ugly and brooding instrumental, as did many other tracks on the album, as well as an overly angsty lyrical performance reminiscent of Warlord. However the next track ‘Yayo’ (slang for cocaine) is one of those highs I mentioned earlier, with a gorgeous instrumental that honestly made me feel like I was
floating, and had a perfect level of auto-tune for Yung Leans’ vocals. For
me ‘Yayo’ was the Yung Lean I had been searching for, a perfect level of
stylistic evolution all while heralding back to his roots that so many know him for. The track ‘Violence’
retains Yung Leans monotone and ‘lazy’ vocals, but his flow is so much more
energetic than his usual delivery and provides for a very unexpected and quick-fire experience. One of my favourite artists, Ariel Pink (real name Ariel Marcus
Rosenburg) is featured on the track ‘Starz’, and is the lone feature on Starz, but I wouldn't of even known it was there if it were not for the title as it is so inconsequential. Starz is probably Yung Leans' most varied and unpredictable release to date, but
its still a very hit and miss experience with tracks like ‘Butterfly Paralyzed’,
‘Dogboy’ ‘Sunset Paradise’ and ‘Hellraiser’ letting the album down with hideous instrumentals, annoying vocal performances and to put it simply, are
just not up to scratch. The album ends with a melancholy note with the track 'Put Me in a Spell', probably the most emotional and genuine track from Yung Lean in his entire discography and provides the album with some more emotional depth and sombre tones. I feel as if Starz will certainly be somewhat
polarising among listeners, either you hate it or you don’t mind it. Some of the best tracks
Yung Lean has released officially are on this album, but they are dragged down by a large amount
of straight up bad songs.
Overall, Starz is mixed bag of tracks, with some excellent tracks sandwiched by a number of terrible and boring tracks. It doesn’t reach the same prestige as albums like Unknown Memory and Stranger, but does contain some of Yung Leans’ best work, so if you’re a fan of his, this album is definitely worth a go, just don’t expect a mind blowing experience.
Favourite Tracks
- Yayo
- Violence
- Dance in the Dark
- Acid at 7/11
- Pikachu
- Put Me in a Spell
Least Favourite Tracks
- My Agenda
- Boylife in the EU
- Outta My Head
- Starz - Ariel Pink
- Hellraiser
- Butterfly Paralyzed
- Dogboy
Related Videos from Yung Lean
Yung Lean - My Agenda (Official Video)
Yung Lean - Boylife in the EU (Official Video)
Yung Lean - Violence + Pikachu (Offical Video)
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