BROCKHAMPTON's TM - Album Review

by Sam Wolstenholm

TM is BROCKHAMPTON's eighth and final album together. It was released on November 18th, 2022: One day after they dropped The Family. That album got the band out of their record deal with RCA, and TM is and independent project. The band consists of Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, Joba, Dom McLennon, Jabari Manwa, bearface, and various other producers and creatives. After years of working together, I'm interested to see how the group concludes their journey.

1. "FMG"

Ummm alright guys, if that's what you're into. Pretty sure everyone in the group besides Kevin is heterosexual, so I'm not sure what gang he's talking about when he says, "I love my gang. That's why I fuck my gang." Overall, this song isn't about anything really. There are some stupid bars on here too. Matt Champian specifically has a few of the cringiest lines I've heard in a while. "She from Idaho, her friends call her tater thot" and "That depends like a adult diaper box" are worth mentioning. I also don't like his voice on this track. It sounds like its's just scratched up and he's about to cry or run out of breath or something. Kevin and Dom do fine with their verses, but even those aren't anything special. They're also like half as long as Matt's, so that isn't exactly to my liking. The beat is not it either. It's just clanky and tonally all over the place. I appreciate the attempt at the digital sounds and weird drum patterns, but it was too much that didn't mesh well as a song.

2. "AnIMAL"

Not feeling this track either. The instrumental is much better, especially a little after halfway when the beat goes through a smooth slow-down. It becomes a lot more powerful and dynamic as synths just command the attention. This all comes after a pretty bland and uninspired first half though. The same sample noise plays the whole time (I admit, it sounds cool but still), and the drums try to keep an upbeat feel, but it comes off as forced. It is, again, Matt Champion's verse that sounds the worst on here to me. I don't really love anyone else on the track, but he just simply could not execute that singing. If the whole song was everything after the beat switchup, then I think I'd like it. However, I'm just not feeling anything from this, and I can't like an entire song because of one 45 second stretch that sounds dope. Overall, I'm alright with this one. It won't go on the playlist, but it isn't getting a trash GIF either.

3. "LISTERINE"

This one is though. I hate this song. What the hell did they think they were doing? Horribly over-autotuned vocals are present from start to finish. The chorus is extremely annoying and sounds like a discount Travis Scott. It sounds like a song he'd make and then delete from his computer. That's what should've happened to this. Awful. It's easily a contender for worst BROCKHAMPTON song ever. The 808s are gross and muddy. I already mentioned how horrible the vocals sound. I almost don't even want to know what it's about (don't bother checking...I just did, and it's not about anything) .

4. "NEW SHOES"

Okay, finally one of these songs actually sounds like a BROCKHAMPTON song. The instrumental is actually both aggressive and mysterious. There's a chopped sample of what I think is a guitar. Either way, the rest of the production doesn't try to do too much. There's a lot of breathing room in the beat, and that means the rap verses stick out a bit more. Merlyn is the clear standout of the track (as he often is) with lines like "Don't play yourself. That's a suicidal sport" being delivered in his energetic style. I love it. I could've done without Dom McLennon's verse, but it doesn't ruin the song or anything. Compared to their previous projects, this isn't one of the band's best songs. However, it's one of the better ones on this album.

5. "KEEP IT SOUTHERN"

I love the darkness of this song. It's gritty and nasty. There's a menacing little "ah" that plays on every other upbeat that just sounds like a ghost or something. The eerie piano chords also combine well with the 808s and fast-paced drum pattern. It's condusive to some hard rapping, and that is delivered by both Kevin and Merlyn. Of course, I like Merlyn better on this track, but Kevin kills the hook and already has it stuck in my head. Good song. Kevin does drop another line that's similar to the entire "FMG" track when he says, "And I fuck my thugs, that's love." He's really doubling down on that, so maybe these guys just messed around like that I don't know. No judgement, but it does seem like an odd thing to brag rap about.

6. "MAN ON THE MOON"

Yes yes yes yes yes. This is actually a contender for my favorite BROCKHAMPTON song. This album definitely seems to have highs and lows. This track, for example, contrasts sharply with the last one as it is a pop dance song basically. The last one was a rap banger, this one just makes me want to disco under some colorful strobelights. Someone get me some roller skates! There's a good chunk of time where the instrumental just kind of loops, but it works really well in this case because it's such an upbeat and fun feeling. There isn't a sound that is trying to overextend. The drums are just a straight "boots and cats" pattern, and it definitely gets the job done. It's also a motivational song. It just sounds like aspiration. Wanting to kiss the man on the moon is just a fun metaphor for having large goals, and you can really tell in the song's overall vibe. It just feels good. I will 100% be singing "I want to kiss the man on the moon!" for the forseeable future. It's extremely catchy and the vocal performance was perfectly executed by Ryan Beatty. I have no complaints with this song. Definition of a good time.

7. "BETTER THINGS"

Ah I see the potential of this song, but it doesn't do it for me. The best part is the oceanic strings and synth pads that fill the air of the song. It actually sounds beautiful and executes a sad, empty mood. I didn't hate the singing either. I was rather impressed by Matt's voice. However, I felt like the lyrics were a bit surface level (below their standards at least) and that they didn't match the energy of the instrumental. I was kind of taken out of any emotional place the song wanted me to be in. It was also extremely slow. The song is only just under three minutes though, so it isn't like it goes on forever. It just felt like more was going to happen and it never did. This is especially true when Kevin starts rapping. When he did, it felt kind of out of place and sounded like he recorded it in an empty livingroom. I might add this to the playlist simply for the luscious atmosphere of the instrumental (EDITING NOTE: I ultimately decided not to add it, but everything I said still stands). As a song though, I must admit it's lacking. All in all, Critic Sam is pretty indifferent toward it, but Sad Boy Sam is all about it...situationally.

8. "CRUCIFY ME"

Gorgeous instrumentation is all over this track. From the moment it starts through an admittedly awkward (but beautifully awkward) descent through chaos to close it out, there are pleasing sounds that kind of tug at the feels. It's their honest reactions to their success. It's a reflection on where they came from and plays out as a nostalgic prayer of sorts. Who doesn't think back to years ago and just wish you could go back? It feels like giving up on now, but that's not what you're doing. In fact, it's more of a celebration of the changes you had to make. Life in the past always seems simpler, but it already happened, so of course it seems like that. You've been through it already. It's healthy to look back like that, and it's normal to yearn for the good ol days. But it's also important to recognize where you are at in the present and who you are. From there, you can figure out where you need to go and who you want to be. I love it. Joba's voice is amazing as always on this chorus, and both Kevin and Matt deliver serviceable verses that contribute to the theme. The best part of the song though is the instrumental. The piano is absolutely stunning (shoutout Grant Lapointe). And whoever is playing the drums (it's Jay Rudolph) is absolutely killing it (especially with the ride cymbals). When the vocals are through, the song kind of breaks down into a piano solo kind of. You can literally hear the whole think just break apart while the drums go absolutely ballistic. It's a wild song. Unexpected. But I think it's really creative, risky, and the right amount of both soul and weird.

9. "DUCT TAPE"

Well, this didn't need to be almost five minutes long. It absolutely drags. The beat is very echoey, and it just sounds very large. That largeness doesn't work for me, but luckily there is a good amount of variation. The drums give it a nice momentum push of sorts so that it isn't painstakingly slow. As far as the performances go, Jabari and Matt do not sound good. They're trying too hard to sing, and I don't think it works really. Kevin sounds good on the chorus. In fact, the chorus itself isn't bad. It isn't crazy catchy or anything, but it does sound pretty damn good. The Joba breakdown also sounded cool and did a good job of leaving room for quite a few dynamic changes and creative choices. Though I was not happy with how the track starts, I was satisfied by the time it finished (pause). Conceptualy though, I'm still a bit in the dark. It seems to be about loss of some sort. Jabari is forgiving his mother for leaving him. Matt seems to have lost a partner somehow (death or just a breakup, not sure), Kevin seems to be losing himself or something (I think he feels like he's letting down people that look up to him), and Joba lost his father to suicide a few years ago. I'm guessing duct tape is supposed to symbolize a temporary solution of some sort. Or it's a makeshift way of addressing things and it's supposed to parallel how people deal with things in their life in the same way (just kind of figuring it out and using the tools we have to cope). The song overall is still just fine to me. There isn't a great energy here, and it does feel overly dramatic or something like that.

10. "ALWAYS SOMETHING"

Honestly, the only good part of the song is Joba's part. He does a good job changing notes and vocal inflections while also pronouncing everything clearly. Oh yea, and he can actually sing. The rest of them have a stupid amount of effects on their voices and it simply does not work. The melodies are not very catchy, but they definitely are boring. It's pretty cheesy and kind of sounds phoned in. The only reason it isn't garbage is because the instrumental does pack an emotional punch. The guitar is swirly and sounds really good. It isn't enough to save the song though.

11. "GOODBYE"

The electric key lead is soft and sets a pretty lowkey mood to be lifted by the drum pattern that is similar in vibe to "Man On The Moon." This one is a little less accessable-sounding though. Matt Champion doesn't have a great vocal performance in my opinion. Joba's, on the other hand, is really good. He's great at matching the song's energy. The wobbley synths that come in betweeen the verses is cute. It's a carefree-sounding instrumental, and genuinely does feel like the end of a high school coming of age film. The credits are rolling and all the characters are saying goodbye before leaving for college or something. It's sad, really. But I do enjoy that BROCKHAMPTON's last song ever is more lighthearted. It ends optimistically. It also might be like the first song ever of theirs without Kevin Abstract on it. It was a nice touch, especially because he released an entire solo project, The Family (my review of that here), under the band's name and used it as a sort of apology note and personal goodbye. I won't be adding this to my playlist simply because Matt Champion doesn't reach the same level as Joba and the contrast does sound a little off to me. It's a solid track though besides that.

Overall

For the record, I did the track reviews of both The Family and TM before coming in for the overall analysis and rating of either one. That way, I can compare them. Normally I wouldn't do this, but they dropped on consecutive days and clearly have a connection.

I'm thinking I don't like this album. There are only four songs I put on my playlist, and they are all very different from each other. That isn't inherently a bad thing, but it speaks to the project's inconsistency in this case. The whole album just feels empty and uninspired. It's clear that they don't have the chemistry they did like five years ago. That's okay though, and I'm glad they're doing what they need to do for their own mental health and careers. That being said, some of these tracks suck. We don't get anything worthwhile until damn near halfway in. Then, the quality drops again after a stretch of a few good songs. I'm disappointed, really. I didn't even get the content I was wanting. Some songs probably made me stupider. Matt Champion sounds worse than he ever has, and Jabari tries to be an autotune rap singer (does not work for me). Dom is a nonfactor and even Kevin's contributions are not up to par. Joba is the only one that seems to still care about making a good product (at least that's how it comes off on this album).

Compared to The Family, this is just not on the same level. Don't get me wrong, there are some good tracks on here, but the bad tracks are awful. The Family's worst songs could be argued as better than half the songs on TM. There is no theme here like there is on the other project, and the performances just seem forced. I don't get it, but I don't have to. This band has given us so much over the years. There's no issue with returning to their older stuff, and there is a lot of it. I highly recommend.

4.2/10

If you've read my review, I assume you have already heard TM, so I want to hear what you think. What'd I miss? Did I tear apart your favorite song? Or give too much credit to one that doesn't deserve it? Any questions or comments? I'd love to respond. Feel free to drop review requests too! I will strongly consider them.