This album was released on June 16th this year. S. Reidy released one of the better albums I heard in 2022, so I was looking forward to seeing how he would follow it up. I personally wasn’t familiar with the artist who produced this album, SunnyMac, so I really didn’t know how this project would sound. The production ended up being one of the main selling points of the record for me though. This shit is fire, and absolutely one of the best albums of the year for me.

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The album begins with a really cool intro called SECRET FORM. When it first started I thought that it was gonna end up just being an instrumental, but eventually S. Reidy starts rapping. I really love the uptempo, melodic, slightly Electronic-sounding production on this track. The verse from S. Reidy is really cool too. The way he’s flowing kinda makes it sound like a prayer that my mother would’ve made me say as a child. That’s just in regards to the flow. The content doesn’t sound like something I’d say when praying.

I fill this space around the hall
I'll keep this to my dying breath
The hyperbolics take their toll
You'll never pay a holy debt

It’s only 55 seconds long, but it works really well as an intro. The way this track transitions into the following song, ODE TO MY REGRET, is really seamless too. This track is where I first noticed how much more expressive S. Reidy’s vocal delivery is than it was on the previous album. Not that he was ever monotone before; he just took it to another level with this album. Anyway, I really love the melodic production on this track. The hard-hitting drums sound excellent. S. Reidy killed this song too. His energetic delivery makes it really easy to focus in on the lyricism.

This is an ode to your regret
Inside yourself an ivory tower leaking out some men
It was a valiant effort, so pat your back, you should be proud
But when you list off all those things you've done, I wouldn't say this out loud
I wouldn't let it slide, I wouldn't make a peep
And if you have to go outside, I would maybe take the backstreets
It ain't personal, you just have ruined all our lives
And if you find it hard to sleep at night, and toss and turn from side to side
That's fine, that's just the onus of your actions
You should've thought before you walked up to me in the bathroom

The hook doesn’t really add to the song for me that much, but it’s not bad. The song’s really dope overall. The following track is called DANCING QUEEN, PT. 2, and it features Fat Tony. The melodic production is stellar. This might be my favorite beat up to this point on the record. The opening verse from Fat Tony is fantastic.

Fistful of dollars, dipped in the finest
Worked for it all, got more to accomplish
Went from a dog to a wolf to a monster
Bite like a Rottweiler, no collar
Long time wanting out of squalor
Had a problem, and I had to solve it
Ain't no way around it, was drownin'
Out of the air 'cause I resolve it

His flow was pretty insane honestly. It actually reminded me a lot of E-40, especially towards the end. I love the verse. Unfortunately, I really don’t care for the hook on this song. Thankfully it’s not bad enough to ruin the entire track for me. The second verse from S. Reidy is really great.

Overwhelmed and underdressed
Make the most of waking up because it sure beats being dead, I think
Write until I'm off the brink, finish then I'm on again
Dressing trauma up in hooks that you can sing along with friends

I love the instrumental, and both of the verses are really entertaining. The only thing I dislike about this song is the hook, which isn’t even that bad. I think the song’s dope. It’s followed by the first real highlight for me, which is called HOT DOG! I really love the sung hook on this track. The jazzy instrumental is incredible to me as well. The actual verse is really dope too.

Think I really knocked my screws loose
My homies got me like it's Choose Goose
'Cause that's just what my dudes do
Can you keep a secret if I need you too?
This mental state can fluctuate, and I think trust is in the root of it
Who endorsed this foolishness?
Normalized madness, and doing little dances
Making profits from your sadness
The earth is quaking, people shooting people in their masses
Deserting, hurting comrades, ride the concord 'til it crashes

There’s really nothing about this track that I don’t like. The beat is fire, the verse is great, and I really enjoyed the hook. The melodic delivery that he dips into around the 70-second mark sounds excellent. The song’s dope as hell. The following track, KEEP GOING, is arguably even better. It features Myles Bullen, and it’s fire. The production here from SunnyMac is honestly stunning to me. I love this beat so much. S. Reidy’s performance on the first verse is great too. His vocal delivery and flow sound really good to me, and I really dig the lyricism.

Puzzle pieces only work in one position
I'm running late to parties, my disdain left me conflicted
I could make some more excuses, but I learned to love the taste
Of making something out of nothing if it's in front of my face

The melodic hook is nice, and I of course loved the verse from Myles Bullen. This was a really exciting collaboration for me, and it didn’t disappoint. I think my favorite aspect of Myles’ performance is honestly just the vocal delivery. Myles’ voice sounds fantastic over this beat. Again, this was one of the most exciting tracks on the album for me. I really love this one. It’s dope as hell. Track 6 is called WEDDING RINGS.

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Once again, I love the production from SunnyMac. It kinda sounds like something I could’ve heard during an Adult Swim bump in the late 2000s. I really dig the sung hook on this track from S. Reidy too, and the verse is really dope.

Authentic never kept me fed
The context keeps me honest, left me bleeding where I bled
I go outside to find the words to say, it's never failed me yet
And sometimes just the sunshine keeps away the voice that wants me dead

S. Reidy has been experimenting with melodies since I discovered his music, but I really feel like he goes further with it than usual on this album. He never really delivers that many lines the same way. After employing a certain delivery or flow for a quatrain he usually switches it up, which I appreciate. It prevents things from getting too predictable or stale. The song’s really dope. It’s followed by OH… CAPTAIN…, which has yet another really good instrumental. The first part of this song is pretty enjoyable to me, but the second verse in which S. Reidy flexes his storytelling skills is definitely what makes the track stand out.

True story, it felt like Shakespeare in the park
An omen or a token of some wisdom to embark
I think about it daily, all the meaning it evokes
Was it profound or was it dumb? I think a little bit of both

I don’t wanna spoil the story in this review, but I really enjoyed it. The hook on this one doesn’t really stand out that much to me, but, as I said before, the main appeal of this song is just the storytelling in the second verse for me. That’s not to say that the rest of the song isn’t good though. It’s a dope track. The penultimate song is a major highlight called HALLOWEEN ON CHRISTMAS, and it’s one of my favorite songs of the year. It might be my favorite song on the album. I haven’t chosen a favorite track yet, so I don’t know. This shit is fire though. The instrumental here reminds me of the Dire Dire Docks theme from Super Mario 64. It has a similarly watery, yet comforting vibe to it. I think it’s amazing. The first verse is great too. Unlike with some of the preceding material, his delivery and tone are less animated and all over the place. I think it helps emphasize the weight of what he’s actually saying on the verses, so I like it. The second verse is really nice.

The damage, it takes two lifetimes to get it
Keep splitting your decisions on assertion or permissions
And lately I think painfully I've made my bed as well
Meaning daily I don't take these revolutions off the shelf
And resolutions to myself are getting further by the minute
And conclusion tries to break me down to never go the distance
Never thought it nothing more than just a surface level sadness
We're rooted deep in soil of aggression less than passive

What really pushes this song to the next level for me is the singing on the hook. S. Reidy’s soft vocals here sound absolutely stellar to me. There’s really nothing about this song that I don’t love. I think it’s dope as fuck, but the following track, BARTEES STRANGER THINGS, is arguably even better. Once again, SunnyMac’s production here is phenomenal. This song might actually have the best verse from S. Reidy on the whole album too. I love how personal and heartfelt the lyricism here is.

My god, could you bless the seeds
I made light in the darkest philosophies
Has made art that could live in a master suite
But left burns in my heart in the 9th degree
I mean, please, I felt love, hate, aimless
Fear, tough, dead, down bad, fake, stressed
I got an A for effort, and a bunch of photos
With a mic in my hand, even met my heroes too

The hook on this track is boiling hot fire. After a few more listens, I’ve decided that this is my favorite track on the album. Everything about this track, from the lyricism to the production to the vocals on the hook, makes this another one of my favorite songs of the year. This might actually be my favorite song that S. Reidy has ever made. I can’t praise it enough. I think it’s amazing. The outro is fantastic too.

I haven't been the same since Jay died
Once or twice thought it nice if I joined him too
For a second, but if Heaven's in the timeline
Stay sane, I know Heaven still can wait for you

I love it. This song is dope as fuck.

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^{This is definitely one of my favorite albums of the year that I’ve heard. This was a really great introduction to SunnyMac, and I would love to hear more of their work because the production here is consistently great across the board. I was genuinely impressed by every single instrumental here. As I said in the body of this review, S. Reidy’s performance felt a lot more animated and expressive than it has in the past. That’s not necessarily a good or bad thing, but it is something that I noticed. I think it adds this layer of personality that wasn’t really present in the other work I’ve heard from him. The two features on this album knocked it outta the park in my opinion. A lot of my favorite moments on this album came in the form of S. Reidy’s singing on the hooks. I think his singing voice is awesome honestly, and I’ll be pleased if he continues to incorporate it in his future work. There’s not a single track that I don’t like on this project. Don’t sleep on this one. It’s one of my favorite projects of the year, and I’d love to know what you guys think of it in the comments below.}

Favorite Song: BARTEES STRANGER THINGS
Least Favorite Song: DANCING QUEEN, PT. 2

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