Jaden released his sophomore studio album ERYS on July 5th, 2019. He had previously released a mixtape, “The Sunset Tapes: A Cool Tape Story” on November 17th, 2018 which I felt was good. The mixtape brought what I feel Jaden was going for on “ERYS” but with a better blend of “SYRE.” Now this LP has been also receiving a lot of unnecessary hate, which I feel isn’t fair since Jaden as a artist has been given a unfair chance by the Hip-Hop community. Though I will say Jaden isn’t no Tupac or Kid Cudi he is however a good artist who makes fun, energetic music that as a listener I enjoy along with his more slow paced, lofi songs. Let’s dive into the colorful world of “ERYS.”
The album starts off as its freshman counterpart with the first four songs being titled “P”, “I”, “N” and “K”, this was also done on “SYRE”, B.L.U.E was the same thing but had a little bit more lofi influence on it. “P” sounds almost like a darker, more slowed down version of the energetic counterpart, “B” from “SYRE.” “I” is a continuation of “P”, a explosion of sirens and bass follows and Jaden raps over the speedy trap beat. The marathon continues as “N” starts, the energy is carried over and Jaden puts some more illegible bars out but I could care less since the production is very well put together. “K” concludes P.I.N.K and sees Norwegian producer Lido as a guest feature, a smooth and melody based track “K” does a good job at ending the word themed intro tracks. Now we get into the real bread and butter of the album, “NOIZE” is a bass and auto-tune packed track that carries that young energy from Jaden and has longtime boyfriend Tyler, the Creator spitting some solid bars on this track. The production is a hit or miss for me, I like it but I also don’t enjoy that screeching sound used heavy, but at the same time this track is titled “NOIZE” so I am nitpicking. “i-drip-or-is” has a blend of experimental, trap like production with very basic lyrics that makes the song seem like a parody of mumble rappers. The song is defiantly a banging track with the production which again I feel is under looked by those who don’t listen to Jaden, it almost feels as if he is in a “808 & Heartbreak”/”My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” faze in his musical direction.
“Again” was the first and only single released for the LP. This was what really drew me in, I like the high energy beat used and Jaden brings a almost evil feeling to the track at times, while SYRE, his Tyler like alter ego has a softer, more trap sound to the lyrics. “Got It” is the outro to “Again” and continues the trap, mumble rap sound. This song was a nice follow up to “Again” but isn’t very special. “Fire Dept” is a experimental, trap song that helps break up the 17 track album, this isn’t a special track but it does have a good spirit to it. “Missions’ is a generic trap song that features Trinidad James, best known for his 2012 hit single “All Gold Everything.” “Summertime In Paris” is a standout track with beautiful guest vocals from Willow accompanied by OmArr’s wonderful production. “Blackout” is a slow, synthetic trap track that sees Jaden talk about a deteriorated relationship. I can relate to the songs lyrics from personal experiences with failed friendships. This defiantly was his strongest track when it comes to the lyrics.
“Pain” continues the story of “Blackout” as Jaden reveals the said past lover also misses him and their feelings align mutually. First things first #FREEA$APROCKY. “Chateau” is a dope single that sees the first of two collaborations seen on the album, the songs theme is all about endorsement deals, loyalty, and record label deals. A$AP is the stronger of the tow on the track but overall it is a solid song. “On My Own” is the Rocky of the album. The song sees Kid Cudi and Jaden strive to motivate listeners who suffer from mental disorders and personal demons through the beautiful hums of Cudi. “Riot” is a auto-tuned mess of a track, I like the production but had to read the lyrics to grasp that the song seems to be about a woman and having fun. Honestly this was a weak track in my humble opinion. “ERYS” closes the regular version of the album. “EYRS” is a conclusion of not only a album but of the character, ERYS demise and ultimate fate through his search of “the vision.” From his chaos with misfits arises SYRE, to return in his death and restore a balance. This song is styled as a spoken letter but is a great conclusion to the series of “SYRE” & “ERYS.” The deluxe version of the album has 3 additional tracks, the first of those is “Beautiful Disruption.” The song is a electronic, trap style song that focuses on maturity and Jaden’s growth as a artist. “Somebody Else” is just a middle section cut out of “ERYS”, nothing special but nothing we needed. “Ghost (Remix)” is the final track for the deluxe edition and features A$APR Rocky along with a new verse from Jaden. I was a fan of “Ghost” when it originally released and this remix was okay, I didn’t care much for it.
Overall I feel “ERYS” is a solid sophomore album, I wouldn’t say it is great but this album is okay, solid and has some real good songs on it. My biggest issue would be the heavy use of auto-tune and experimental sounds, though I enjoyed bits and pieces of both I feel that had a heavy drag on a majority of the albums creative direction. My biggest positive would be Jaden’s attempt to tell a story with his alternate personality. Production was a big positive on this album, the trap fusion sound works well for most the album but again Jaden’s use of auto-tune or heavy bass does kill some songs for me. My favorite songs would have to be “On My Own”, “NOIZE”, “Summertime In Paris” and “P.” Kid Cudi and Jaden blend so well on “On My Own” that I can’t help bobbing my head, this track goes too if you smoke. “NOIZE” was a great track purely for Tyler, the Creator’s feature alone. “Summerime In Paris” sees siblings come together in a beautiful harmony, I think this was the best track off of the whole LP. “P” was just a nice throwback to “B” from “SYRE”, it was well put together and overall a enjoyable track. My least favorite tracks were “Fire Dept”, “Chateau” and “Riot.” The issue with all three for me is a lack of direction or the production. “Fire Dept” was just a mess of a song, “Chateau” was underwhelming and not very enjoyable and “Riot” just was loud and obnoxious. This LP is once again just okay, I would recommend at least checking out my favorite tracks before fully listening to the album.
The Musical Hippie 