![]() Listening to the crinkly distortion effects on “RAIN3OW STAR (LOVE IS ALL)” with headphones on sounds like dialing out of the Matrix. But it’s Gud’s production that glues the album together. Where the 18-minute project starts to feel shapeless, guest spots on “WONDERLAND” and “LOVESTORY” from Ecco2K, Bladee’s sweet-voiced Drain Gang compatriot, help anchor it. But his less-is-more approach starts to feel hollow on “EVERY MOMENT SPECIAL,” a song with even simpler lyrics that consist of just two repeated phrases (“Every moment’s special, you make every moment special” and “Only one wish, baby, it has to be perfect”). Over twinkling ascending notes, he repeats three phrases-“Mirror in the way,” “Follow all the way,” and “Window in the way”-in a circular pattern before adding something more concrete: “Ego in the way/I go all the way/I’m not in the way.” On “MERRY-GO-ROUND,” he examines the cycles of life, striking a satisfying balance between simple writing and catchy melody. The album’s intro, “MIRROR (HYMN),” serves as a blueprint for his approach. Bladee has always had range-even on his first album, aggressive songs like “Rip” lived alongside ballads like “Skin”-but, here, he pushes even further towards blissful pop and strips down his lyrics to their most minimal extreme. ![]() EXETER is Bladee’s third studio album and the first time he’s worked significantly with Gud, the Sad Boys producer and close Yung Lean collaborator.
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