Virgo World / Lil Tecca / September 18, 2020
- Joshua Yoo
- Sep 23, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 28, 2020
From his debut mixtape dropped last year, Lil Tecca left relatively little on the table in terms of artistic individuality or sound, sticking strongly to the current wave of trap. This debut studio album presented its chance for such crafting, but while there are hints of styles and sounds that see fit for him on occasion, his first official effort finds itself struggling with many of the same issues of lacking distinctive instrumentals or flows as the previous.
The production throughout the 19-song track-list is a mixed bag: a couple of instrumentals greatly distinguish themselves in originality (“Miss Me”), while the majority fall victim to more mundane 808s and trap drum patterns (“Dolly”). Paired with these are a good number of plainly routine hooks and verses, lacking a good amount of variety or creativity in the vocal melodies (“True to the Game”, “Our Time”).
However to his credit, at moments Tecca does make efforts to use more diversified melody lines, often ending up working for him. Specifically towards the second leg of the album, the more melodic and emotionally driven moods of tracks display an affectionate tone from Lil Tecca not often heard. And although the vocal acrobatics sometime come off as rather unstructured or unfocused (“Selection”), they still provide an interesting quality to otherwise normal beats.
It seems like a step in the right direction for Lil Tecca’s growth as an artist, yet it doesn’t manage to be a significantly large one. Honing in on styles that distinguish his voice and flows distinctly is still a task awaiting fruition.
Best Track(s): Out of Love, Last Call, Miss Me, When You Down
Lowlight(s): True to the Game, Tic Toc, Dolly, Insecurities
SCORE: 4/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFmnEhHNswU
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