It seems fitting that my first Lil Yachty project (and review for 2023) is titled “Let’s Start Here”, as this album might allegedly be the beginning of a new chapter for the artist. My experience with Lil Yachty is essentially non-existent as the only song I’ve ever known by him is the viral single “Poland” which dropped in 2022. I am admittedly not the biggest fan of trap, but I found this song oddly interesting mostly for one thing; Lil Yachty’s voice. His idiosyncratic auto tuned-warbled croons are an incredibly unique aspect of his music. However, on this album, instead of singing over a trap beat, Lil Yachty completely flips the script and instead drops a Psychedelic Rock album out of nowhere.  

It should be noted that this isn’t “psychedelic” like a Pink Floyd or Cream record. This is more in line with the electronic infused Neo-Psychedelia of artists like Tame Impala or Yves Tumor. Surprisingly however, there are still actual “rock” songs on this album, such as the opener “the BLACK seminole” which borders on Progressive Rock with extended song lengths and actual guitar solos. Clearly this is quite a sudden pivot for Lil Yachty who has only been known for his fun pop-rap mixtapes/albums. Looking into the linear notes and doing research on the different hands involved, you will quickly realize that Yachty really did his homework for this change. Most predominantly on this record are producers sadpony and Jacob Portrait. sadpony has production credits for Yves Tumor’s song “Kerosene!”, a soulful psychedelic rock ballad, which is one of my favorite singles of 2020. And Jacob Portrait is a member of Psychedelic Pop band Unknown Mortal Orchestra and has worked with the likes of Garage-Psych Rock band King Gizzard and Philly’s own Alex G (Portrait was a recording engineer for Alex G’s “God Save the Animals which was one of my favorite albums last year!). Alex G who provides guitar for a cut on this album is just one of many other indie sphere big names such as Magdalena Bay, Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift, Justin Raisen (worked with Yves Tumor, Joji, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and vocalist Fousheé (collaborated with Steve Lacy in 2022). Suffice it to say Lil Yachty has surrounded himself with people who know how to write songs with this psychedelic flair. But where does Lil Yachty fit into all of this?  

Lil Yachty plays the role of a curator in this album as opposed to an up-front-in-your-ears performer. Yachty is still there crooning away but his auto-tuned trills almost act as its own instrument that layers within this bright psychedelic pop instrumentation. This aspect of the album will polarize listeners upon first listen. Some might even find his voice annoying as it is rare that you hear Yachty’s voice stripped back from the effects, but I personally find it such a fun and distinctive part of the listening experience. With that said, I admit that Yachty for the most part is the weakest link within his own album when he’s actually speaking words. The production and instrumentation on this album are so dense and layered that I almost wish it was an instrumental album. Yachty’s lyrics are not exactly something that will make you stop and think about what he’s talking about. For the most part you could probably take Yachty’s vocals and layer them over 808 beats and it would still work as a rap song. 

Conclusion: Honestly, I really had a lot of fun listening to this album. For a genre that can fall into the same tropes time and time again, Lil Yachty spearheaded a unique approach to creating psychedelic music that feels fresh and innovative!! 

Favorite Songs: the BLACK seminole, running out of time, pRETTY, THE zone~, drive ME crazy!, paint THE sky, sHouLd I B?, REACH THE SUNSHINE.