This album was released on February 3rd this year. Jesse the Tree is an artist from Rhode Island who I first started listening to a couple years ago after I heard him featured on Myles Bullen’s Mourning Travels album. I’ve not heard all of his output, but I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve heard from him. This latest solo album is entirely produced by his sleepingdogs partner, andrew. I kinda expected that I would enjoy this album, especially based on the enticing features. It ended up giving me exactly what I wanted, and now I think this is the best solo album I’ve heard from Jesse.

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The album begins with Audrey Horne, which was one of the more exciting tracks for me because it features Slumber Logic, who was one of my favorite new discoveries of the past couple years. If you haven’t checked out his album from last year, you’re seriously missing out. Anyway, the production from andrew here is really nice. As soon as I heard this, I thought to myself “andrew should produce a Slug album.” Seriously, Slug would fit over this beat beautifully. That’s a thought I’ve been having more and more over the past couple years as I become more and more dissatisfied with Ant’s production. The first verse from Jesse is pretty nice. I think his vocal delivery over this beat sounds really great. I also like his straightforward flow a lot, and he rhymed really well. However, I have to admit that I definitely enjoyed Slumber Logic’s performance even more. His verse was just a lot more technically intricate. They both did a great job here though. Everyone did. It’s a dope song, and it had me excited to listen to the rest of the project. The following track, BUG FLESH, is even better in my opinion. I absolutely love the production from andrew on this one. I don’t know how to describe the emotion it elicits from me. It sounds like solace in the form of music. I picture heavy rains cloud dispersing right before the emergence of sunshine when I hear it. The opening verse from Jesse is excellent. He was rhyming really well, and his slow-paced flow sounds really great.

The cymbals start crashin'
Funhouse mirrors made of plastic
Arachnids dancin' on the ceiling doin' backflips
Ready, set, action
Bloodhound howling at the glass door, scaring the wrens
Never forget the weather when you bury a friend
And now I move with a precarious grin
Comb the area slick, and watch him make it by the hair on his chin

My favorite part of the song is honestly the weird hook. It’s a repeated audio clip of someone saying “I just wanted to say that you’re doing great. I know it’s all a bit overwhelming.” The way the audio is edited in conjunction with the cloudy instrumental just makes it sound really haunting to me. The second verse from Jesse is fantastic too. I loved this song the first time I heard it, but it grew on me even more with repeat listens. It’s one of my favorite songs of the year now. I think it’s dope as fuck. Track 3 is called Mr. Elevator.

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This track has a really warm, comforting-sounding instrumental that I love. The subject matter about getting high as fuck is definitely something I can appreciate as an avid stoner myself.

Crumble up a quarter jug of fuzzy nuggets
Gold trim, mellow yellow, easy does it

The one aspect of this song that I’m not really crazy about is the sung hook. I think I just am not feelin’ the melody itself, although I might’ve enjoyed it more if the vocals were actually really good. They sound kinda rough to me personally though. The second verse is pretty cool. I think I like the idea of this song more than the execution to be honest. I have a soft spot for songs about weed because they’re generally very fun to smoke to, but I’d be lying if I said I thought this was one of the best examples of that type of song. My favorite aspect of this track is just the production. I definitely still really like this song overall though. I think it’s pretty good. The following track is called Canary Yellow Submarine, and it features AJ Suede. This track has another really nice instrumental from andrew. The piano-driven production sounds very good to me. The opening verse from Jesse is nice too.

Sometimes I wonder if I even exist
Solar eclipse, no bones to pick
Cool, calm, on my polar bear toenails shit
Three thousand leagues under seas
Fishbowling in canary yellow submarines

The hook from AJ Suede is solid, and his verse at the end of the track is dope. Nothing about this track really blew me away, but I definitely like it overall. It’s a good song. Track 5 is called Butterfly Tattoo, and it’s a major highlight for me. This song grew on me more than any other track. I thought it was dope on my first listen, but now I think it’s another one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. First of all, the production from andrew here is absolutely incredible. That vocal sample is gorgeous. Not only is the sample amazing sonically, but the actual lyrics that were sampled are incredible to me too.

My life is fine
Through my pain and tears I am not fighting time
Live to laugh
Live to cry
Wonder why

The first verse from Jesse is outstanding.

The proof is in the tapioca
Happy omens, cat faces, Ugly Casanova
No magnum opus, I'm just passing over
Maybe life is just a nap atop a tacky sofa
The splinter Sosa, way out, Surfer Rosa
I'm hearing voices, molly doses
Diagnose him as the dopest

I really love the hook on this track too. Again, the vocal sample is amazing, and the additional vocals that Jesse laid down really add a lot to the song for me. The second verse is somehow even better than the first one. Jesse’s writing is on point, and another stellar aspect of the song that shouldn’t go unmentioned is his somber vocal delivery. He sounds perfect over this beat.

Come to peace where I'm at, where I'm headed, where I was before
Seesaw, reward and remorse, we ain't keeping score
To each his own, I place my grief in stars
Watch the reefer vapor crawl as if akin to sloth
Right the wrongs 'til the wrongs write simple songs
My sister said her intuition is strong
Growing through the storms, letting go and holding on
Perhaps it's half an answer to the days between
I guess we'll find out and see

Overall, this is not only one of the best songs on the album, but one of the best songs I’ve heard from Jesse the Tree period. I think it’s dope as fuck. Same goes for the following track, Pale Horse, which features Rap Man Gavin. This was my favorite song on the album on my first listen. This was probably my most anticipated song in the tracklist because it features Rap Man Gavin who always kills it, and it didn’t disappoint at all. I absolutely love the production, but it’s the type of beat that I probably wouldn’t appreciate if less interesting MCs were rapping over it. I think the performances from Jesse & Gavin really elevate it. The way they were trading verses with each other was really captivating. I think a big part of it has to do with how nimble and mesmerizing their flows are here. Jesse doesn’t flow like this at any other point on the record, so this track really stands out. Gavin fucking slaughtered this shit too. They both did. I feel like the rapping just gets better and better as the song progresses.

In the end we laid, every ember remember daze
No love lost, life separates, no, not yet, need an extra day
Every texture fades, every semblance a sense to stay
Dissipate with my debts to pay, every specter gray
Every cent in the collection plate not once mentioned, the exit waits
Let the restless play, seek joy in a senseless way
Listen close, nothing left to say, a sudden deathly sway
Bottom rock just a test of faith, better check your haste

This is another one of my favorite songs of the year. The production, flows, rhymes, and lyrics are all on point. I love this shit. The song’s dope as fuck. It’s followed by another highlight called Big Star featuring andrew. I really love the production on this one; I don’t know what the sample is, but it sounds like a really dope Art Pop song. The first verse from Jesse is really great.

The captain take the wheel when I drift
Fall from where I was, see my shadow in a blanket of mist
Love language is broken arrows repairing wings
Relinquish hunger for damage, learnin' to care again
Share the silence 'til we hear a pen, droppin' out and tunin' in
Soon enough the lotus start to bloom and bend

The vocal sample that they used for the hook is excellent, and andrew’s verse is really nice too. This is one of the best tracks on the album, and it just made me even more excited to check out the new sleepingdogs album that came out in March. The following track is called heaven. This is another one that really grew on me heavily. It’s got a really dejected-sounding piano-driven instrumental that makes me think of the movie Synecdoche, New York. Lyrically, I think this is actually the best song I’ve ever heard from Jesse the Tree. I was absolutely hooked by every single line. The first verse is amazing, and the second one is somehow even better.

I've been having all these dreams where I know there's something off
Like the angle of the sun or the paintings on the wall
A cigarette that lit itself, a dog barking from afar
There's a woman walking slowly through a fissure in the smog
Humming something in between a muddled whisper and a psalm
Dry roses in her hair, a wounded dove in cradled arms

I even love the hook on this track in which he just repeats “it’s a lovely view of heaven, but I’d rather be with you.” This is easily one of my favorite songs of the year. There’s not a single aspect of it that I don’t love. It’s dope as fuck. Track 9 is called Old Brazen Sun, and it opens up with a nice guest verse from NAHreally.

Laminated page, pen beliefs in dry erase
Flex ability, humility, they're both acquired taste
Dire straits, house of pain, either way I'm taking swings
More at best coming, but the strikes still sting

I have to admit that I enjoyed this song more on my first listen of the album than I do now, but it’s still good. I just am not crazy about the instrumental, and the hook doesn’t add much to the track for me. The actual rapping on the verses is what makes this song worth returning to for me. Jesse’s verse is dope.

Knock knock, why'd the tree cross the road?
God knows, or maybe she don't
Stranger on the bus in a stone blue raincoat
Offered up a seat for a view of the sea
And said the water's gonna swallow us all
And love is real, peace

This is far from a highlight for me on the album just because it doesn’t stand out that much sonically, but I still like it overall. It’s pretty good. The following track is called OMC, and it features IL. Subliminal. This is the only track on the album that I don’t see myself returning to. It’s definitely not a bad song though overall. I actually like the production quite a bit, and the first verse from Jesse is great. The main aspect of the song that really turns me off is the sung hook. I don’t like that chorus at all. It’s not because the vocals are super wack or anything. I just don’t like the melody itself. I also sadly wasn’t really into the guest verse from IL. Subliminal. His flow was fine, but I felt like he didn’t rhyme that well. I know there’s an audience for it, but personally I can’t really get into rappers who don’t rhyme unless they’re saying something really emotionally profound. I know I’ve enjoyed songs that featured IL. Subliminal in the past, but I don’t remember exactly how I felt about his specific contributions to those tracks. This isn’t a bad song at all. It’s just not something I’m gonna be returning to personally. It’s solid though. Track 11 is called Toy Machine, and this is another one that really grew on me a lot. The production kinda reminds me of something that Odd Nosdam might do, and I actually really like the melodic hook on this one. The main aspect of the song that I love the most is just Jesse’s writing though. I was hooked by everything he had to say.

There's poison dripping from the stars again
And not a whisper from the audience
Tied a knot in his chest and stated the obvious
Tomorrow watches over the soul while holding its oxygen

I also really like Jesse’s slow-paced flow on this track. As I was listening to this album, tracks like this gave me the idea that a Jesse the Tree and Evidence collaboration would be fantastic. I hope we get to see that come together some day. Overall, I think this song is really dope. Again, I like it more now than I did on my first listen. The penultimate track is called Tree Nowitzki. This one’s got a really dope, laidback, melodic instrumental that fits into the rest of the album really nicely. As I was listening to this track, I kinda wished that it had a Rich Jones feature. I think he would fit over this beat perfectly. In fact, I think he could’ve fit in pretty well on most of the songs on this LP. Maybe andrew should produce a Rich Jones project next. Anyway, Jesse killed this track. The rapping here is fantastic. He rhymed really well, and I love his flow here. The first verse is great.

Keep an eighth of Lamb's Breath in the olive cargo
These cats are corny as guest lists at Mar-a-Lago
We pour the Reposado, posse a flock of goats
401, the only motto is hope
Solemn he spoke soft, wandering home
Humming harmonies in monochrome

I had never heard of the Lamb’s Breath strain before hearing this, but I looked it up on Leafly and it looks pretty good. Anyway, the second verse is even better than the first one in my opinion.

Space Invaders, Take Me to Your Leader
Sparking cheeba with your Mona Lisa
She quote my thesis, pardon the schema
The notes facetious
My thrill-seeking copping vintage sneakers
Brad 11s and T-Mac Adidas
Zappa rapper, Uncle Remus
Cream puff war, cleaners from Venus

The hook is really great too. I love the way the instrumental switches up for that part of the song. It sounds really good. The song’s dope. The album closes with a highlight entitled Mystery. The heavenly production here is really gorgeous, and there’s an implicit sense of emotional vulnerability in the writing from Jesse here. The way the lines are delivered just enhances that mood. The slow-paced flow and somber vocal delivery fit the tone of the production beautifully. I think the first verse is amazing honestly.

I lost my mind for a second
I forgot how to smile at the pressure
Don't you let this ugly world grind you down to dust
I haven't found much, but I've found enough
What is love? Baby, don't hurt me
I spent the sun's shift pouring salt in the worry
The heartbeat skips out of rhythm under shirt sleeves
Hidden from the eyes who devoid of a mercy

I love the melodic hook, and the second verse is even better than the first one in my opinion.

Quite a bit of hope in this dim view
Old trauma clinging to the scar tissue
Let this weary body be an anchor
Remind me I'm alive when I'm anxious
Terrified by the crowd, sea of faces
Tell me why, self struggles with arrangements
I'm tryna find the way home, it's getting dark
So loud inside my head, I turn the radio off
Big clouds to my left, both fragile and strong
Long time to be here, short time to be gone

I have no complaints with this track. I think it works really well as an outro, and is one of the most memorable songs on the album. It’s dope as hell.

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^{This is another one of the best albums I’ve heard so far in 2024. It grew on me a lot with repeated listens. andrew’s production is the best it’s ever been, and Jesse fits over it like a glove. I really don’t have any consistent gripes with this record. It’s easily my favorite solo project from Jesse the Tree. It has some of the best songs I’ve heard all year. I feel like almost all of the beats here from andrew somehow convey a lot of emotions, and that probably had a big influence on Jesse’s writing. This record feels very human to me. The overall atmosphere just comes off very down to Earth. The majority of the features really came through with great performances, and there’s not a single beat here that I don’t like to some extent. As I said in the body of this review, this just made me even more excited to check out the sleepingdogs record that was released in March. If it’s anywhere near as good as this, I will be very happy. Check this project out, and let me know what you think in the comment section below. I think it’s really dope.}

Favorite Song: heaven
LEast Favorite Song: OMC

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Watch the video below for more thoughts on this album.