Dark Lane Demo Tapes / Drake / May 1, 2020
- Joshua Yoo
- May 2, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2020
Yet another project labeled as “leaks” and loose ends that didn’t make the cut for previous albums, Drake ends his moderately length hiatus from music with this 14-track mixtape “Dark Lane Demo Tapes.” It sees Drake channeling an entirely different mood than his last few albums, focusing on more somber and weighty themes and production that accurately reflect the cover art, and to some degree, it’s more or less refreshing to see a resurfacing of this aesthetic in his music. Context is important for discussing the mixtape, largely due to Drake prefacing it as a “loose ends” type of project; a lot of the shortcomings that the mixtape suffers from reflects this: lifeless and super-minimal beats (“From Florida With Love”), disorganized and unstructured songwriting (“Deep Pockets”), and even experiments with drill rap that generally miss the mark (“War”). And yet despite these typical faults, Drake surprises in many areas of the mixtape, signifying a level of quality in his music that fans haven’t seen a little while. Some of his lyrical rap tracks show Drake in great form in his vocal delivery, energy, and rhythm (“When To Say When”), and some of his more heavy and serious cuts convey Drake’s earnest emotions effectively through well-crafted atmospheric instrumentation and mixing (“Chicago Freestyle”). Also, for the most part, the features throughout the project exceed expectations, especially reliable contributors Future and Young Thug providing fun and dynamic guest verses on two of the higher-energy songs. For what Drake meant for this mixtape to be, it passes the test. The flaws are apparent and pretty characteristic of Drake’s recent artistry, but the high points of this album are noteworthy and, more importantly, encouraging. Fans can now anticipate Drake’s upcoming sixth album with a little greater sense of rekindled excitement.
Best Track(s): Desires, Chicago Freestyle, When To Say When, D4L Lowlight(s): Toosie Slide, From Florida With Love, War
SCORE: 5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGXCuAHEjYI
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