Four years after his solo project, Arizona Baby, Kevin Abstract released a new 13-track album, with a newer, rawer, indie sound. Maybe the split of BROCKHAMPTON triggered a new identity crisis for Abstract, because this new album sounds like an Alex G parody. The high-pitched voices and whispers, strong guitar melodies, and sad lyrics sound scarily similar to Alex G’s God Save The Animals. The song “Blanket” starts off with whispers exactly like that of the whispers of Alex G’s “Ain’t it Easy.” Similarly, Alex G’s classic high-pitched distorted voice is used in many songs, particularly “After All” is ripped off in Abstract’s “Height Spiders and the Dark.” These songs by Abstract are still somewhat enjoyable but it feels wrong. It sounds like Abstract is trying to get validation and approval of an audience that is not his, who he shouldn’t care about but clearly does.
Whatever new aesthetic Abstract is going for, it is played out and unoriginal. Compared to Arizona Baby, an album that was so sure of itself, innovative, and strong, Blanket is insecure and derivative. When Arizona Baby came out in 2019, the world was delighted and blessed with a Kevin Abstract creation that was new, fresh, and genuinely cool. One can actually hear Abstract’s real voice and lyrics that told a story that was authentic to who Abstract was and where he came from. Granted, artists are allowed to grow and change, no doubt, but Abstract has become completely unrecognizable. It is unclear what Blanket is trying to convey, and the world does not need another Alex G tryhard, especially when that person is completely capable of being original and authentic. Maybe not anymore. Abstract is clearly hungry for experimentation, as this album plays into a type of sound he doesn’t typically produce (the Alex G genre), but he could have done so in a way that was innovative.
The only song that is potentially reminiscent of Abstract Sound and displays genuine emotion is “Voyager.” It sounds like a relative of the songs “Baby Boy” and “Joyride” of Arizona Baby, the way that it manages to be an upper but still emotional and yearning. Abstract has the talent to produce something that is uniquely his own and beautiful. He has done it before. Blanket is trying to be something it is not, and it is sad because Kevin Abstract is a strong artist on his own, but it seems as if he lost himself.
Wherever you are Kevin Abstract, come back. We miss you.
Grade: D
Listen to Kevin Abstract’s Blanket here.