Melz

6y

Will listen soon posted on my IG story just to help spread the word

444

6y

amazing, being able to incorporate things like that into the music is beautiful man

First listen almost over (i keep replaying songs ) & i gotta say this caught me way off guard i been needing music like this and it was sitting directly in my face on KTT, wild

i can't pick a favorite atm but all i know is camp whatever & frankie muniz liable to make a nigga shed sum tears, this whole album is special. y'all did a great job on this, i go to the laundrymat mad early tomorrow and this the first album im playing off the airpods

666

6y

that tangerine love hook got me feeling things man

sam truth

6y

Blackstarkids are the truth

debbie

6y

Real dope album. Definitely will be on repeat for quite some time. Tangerine Love is the one.

lucid

6y

mitch lookin like tracy in that live

babylon sherm

6y

After a couple of listens I put together 500 words to say this is a great album

Yo is this Claire? Your show f***in sucks!

We’re not exactly at a loss for mid-2000s nostalgia in music at the moment, but BLACKSTARKIDS separate themselves from the pack on their major label debut Whatever, Man through two crucial facets; first, they play the role very well. The three members don’t need to approximate or cobble together a pastiche of period-specific feels, they were clearly raised in the era and display a natural knowledge for the aesthetics and trivia of the period. One gets the feeling they could extemporize on the J-14 formatting style bible at length if asked, and probably display an encyclopedic knowledge of VH1s I Love Money cast members. Secondly, the actual music isn’t stuck in the time period. Like any good coming of age story, Whatever Man is purposefully a little timeless, and as an album speaks vividly to the distinctly adolescent sensation of having a taste level that’s cooler and smarter than what you’re being marketed by adults. Mellow early-2000s downtempo and chillwave-esque synth lines merge with jangly coffeshop indie pop seamlessly, sounding like Damon Albarn left Blur to form Gorillaz but picked up “In Search Of....” era Pharrell and Roykssop along the way. To cap off the namedropping, because this is a highly original project despite the cultural hodgepodge it curates, the lyrical alternating currents of droll humor and point-blank sincerity evoke none other than that epitome of late 90s adolescent cool Stephen Malkmus. You can even hear a hint of influence from Pavement’s less cluttered later work on vocals of tracks like Cigarettes and early-album highlight Friendship, which finds The Babe Gabe inhabiting an extremely comfy Buddha Bar style pocket with her vocals. She’s a powerhouse and the floating soul of the album, flitting between doe-eyed ingenue and slacker dream date on a dime. The contrast with Mitch’s delivery, which firmly rooted in the flippant teenage Id, give the songs their driving push-and-pull rhythm. Production doesn’t step in the way, finding an unobtrusive sweet spot that never gets showy enough to overshadow the three individuals at the center. The skits and interludes across the project are crafted in perfect specification of the Radio Disney drops they emulate, a flawless approximation of the kids sitcom you were too old to watch but still absorbed countless hours of simply because it was on. And yet that worldbuilding is tastefully restrained and free of any deeper meaning, at least upon first listen. For an album made by folks who would be classified pejoratively as Zoomers, you won’t get any hacky hot takes about living in an online world nor any pretension with regard to crossing aesthetic boundaries. Aside from the surreal celebrity antics of Let’s Play God, the world is confined to whatever spot the three friends can be found hanging out at- a dreary day job, a party, a mosh pit. And despite naming a song after one of the most incendiary bands of all time, the BLACKSTARKIDS don’t sound too worried about the state of things. Though why should they be? For those that grew up against the background of the back to back Bush administrations, nothing about the current state of the world is exactly “new”, and the band clearly doesn’t feel the need to preach when they could find space for a pop punk call-and-response chorus instead. One gets the feeling these three are readily inclined chunk up the deuce at anybody doing too much, smile and say “Whatever, man” - and the music is better for it.

safe

6y

Ay you got an email by any chance? I got a couple things I wanted to ask you

sam truth

6y

samtroof@​gmail.com :)

mr get dough

6y

I cant tell if this Is good or bad lmao

I need a cut and shave tho lmao

mr get dough

6y

I cant tell if this Is good or bad lmao

I need a cut and shave tho lmao

innuendo

6y

when the movie industry perfects the black coming of age narrative do not be surprised if a handful of songs on this album make it onto the soundtrack

lucid

6y

nah i love the hair

Jerry Electricity

6y

Finally getting a chance to give this a spin. Really impressed with how it turned out. Genuinely no bad songs, it really created such a dope, uplifting vibe. I really love the production throughout, all of you have dope vocals which makes some of the hooks sound really beautiful. Idk if I can pick a favorite song, Friendship really stood out though, that’s a fantastic song and that outro was incredible. The skits were cool too, I liked how they all tied together, so it didn’t seem like “oh here’s another skit”, I was actually looking forward to hearing all of them. Lol. But, congrats and well done to you and the rest of the group, hope this blows up for you all bc this a great album, and I’m gonna replay the hell out of it.

safe

6y

Such a great album

Gonna always be there when I need to feel happy

wrist

6y

Yeah this put a smile on my face

Need to play this on my next car ride with the sunroof up drinking a slurpee

dove

6y

imma check this out tonight, can’t wait to hear

laudi

6y

Being scruffy >

mr get dough

6y

That’s so dope to hear man, Im so happy you like it

Did any songs stand out as favs?