Brockhampton’s Saturation II as eclectic and gripping as their debut

Three months following their debut album, Brockhampton’s Saturation II, released Sept. 6, is just as compelling and unique as it’s prequel.

The group, insisting on being called a “boy band” rather than a crew or collective, is made up of 15 rappers, producers and artists who moved to Los Angeles with “$300 to [their] names.” They revamped the alternative rap game with Saturation and Saturarion II, mixing g-funk synths with snake charming pentatonics.

Merlyn Woods, Kevin Abstract, and Ameer Vann make up a few of the eight voices on Brockhampton’s songs. Their dissonance and varying levels of vocals creates a sound unreachable to any

 other group.

The Los Angeles group develops their sound in II to something more aggressive and punchy, moving away from the sleekness found on I. Brockhampton’s 

catchiest songs all separate the most attractive sounds found within them. “…like a keyboard arpeggio on their debut’s ‘Gold’ or string plucks on II’s ‘Jello’,” Matthew Strauss, an acclaimed

Pitchfork review writer, said.

II’s 16 tracks brings out the very different roles and personalities of each member, from Abstract’s ability to kill any hook he’s on, to Dom McLennon’s unwavering flow, to JOBA’s falsetto magic and stability as a rapper when needed. Brockhampton is beginning to progress and come out of their shells within their music. As the 

second part of a musical trilogy, II paves a great path for the wrap up, Saturation III.

Still riding the fence between pop and hip-hop genres, the neo-authentic “boy band” took an approach to music that rewrote the rap game, and portrayed a bona fide coolness and fresh perspective more than a need to be risky and to stand out.

Click featured image to listen to the album.