Travis Scott - UTOPIA: Album Review
If you reach for the stars, you might just land on a cloud. By inviting us to UTOPIA, Travis Scott flips his usual formula on its head, sounding more human, but also more alien, than ever before.
“The way we evolved and knocked down walls, this shit’s outrageous” raps Travis Scott on his eagerly anticipated new album UTOPIA; which is an ode to those who inspired his come-up but also the most unique and cohesive the Houston rager has ever sounded.
The road to UTOPIA has been a long and complicated one. Five years ago, Travis Scott ascended to new levels not many thought were possible for a rapper in his lane, as he shook the commercial walls and dropped some of the biggest rap anthems of the 2010s on Astroworld.
I will discuss UTOPIA shortly, but first it feels essential as part of this album process to take you on the journey to get here - because it is one marred with controversy but also engulfed in intense debate.
Those tapped into the Travis Scott matrix were already hyperaware of his talents, and he was already a bonafide star thanks to hits like Antidote and 3500 off Rodeo, plus beibs in the trap and megahit Goosebumps off Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight.
However, Astroworld was an elevation to uncharted territory. It was the album he was seemingly born to make, a near hour-long rollercoaster album named after the closed down theme park in his hometown of Houston, Texas that some of his fondest childhood memories came from.
Tracks like Butterfly Effect and Yosemite were huge hits, but it was the standout Sicko Mode that really shifted the paradigm. I label it Bohemian Rhapsody for Gen-Z’s due to its frantic instrumental switches and chaotic energy intertwined with catchy melodies. It was the sound of an emerging artist truly emerging for all to see.
A couple of years later and Travis seemed to be in album mode once more, as he set up his music event Astroworld Festival in 2021 - with the intention to bring that carnival atmosphere back to Houston as a celebration of his rise to stardom. The end result, however, would change the landscape forever.
On November 5, 2021, 10 people went to a music festival and did not come home. 25 others were hospitalised as fans were crushed due to overcrowding, people jumping barriers and breaking into the venue, as well, you’d have to say, as being down to really poor planning and Travis’ live show reputation finally catching up with him.
Travis Scott is a live performer unlike any other. He puts everything in, and expects everything back in return from those in attendance. His shows are packed with a nihilistic punk energy, it’s been likened to a riot with trap music playing in the background, and as someone who has been in a festival crowd for one of his sets - I can vouch for this animalistic vibe.
Astroworld Festival took it too far, it cost people their lives and there are no excuses in the world that can bypass such an event; hence why Travis’ Instagram apology after the event generated so much heat online. Watching Travis Scott’s Netflix documentary shows you how feral his shows can be, but there’s a line and that was crossed that night in November 2021.
At the end of June this year, a grand jury declined the opportunity to indict Travis for this event, finding that no crime had occurred. District Attorney Kim Ogg rather poignantly said: “It is tragic that 10 innocent people were killed while trying to enjoy an evening of music and entertainment, something many of us do routinely and without a second thought to our safety. But a tragedy isn’t always a crime, and not every death is a homicide.”
This will not determine any outcomes in pending civil lawsuits Travis faces for this event, as families of the victims continue to pursue legal action against the rapper for his involvement in the death of their loved ones. It is a really horrifying situation for all involved, and one that will be decided properly, and legally, in due course.
Since that fabled evening, it seems Travis has retreated to the sidelines. But this new album feels like a declaration that he can still rage, just with a purpose.
UTOPIA was finally released on July 28 this year. Five years after Astroworld dropped, this felt like a significant moment in the commercial music space. Travis has never been one to do things by the rule book, and he wasn’t about to begin here.
The album begins frantically and with a mission. Those drums on HYAENA are ugly, mean, intense - it’s like a high-speed car chase in your ears and the dopamine hit you get from them is beyond comprehension. The first line on the album is “okay this shit is outta control” and on this evidence alone, it’s hard to disagree.
He sets the tone immediately, and while the album may not quite reach that height again on too many occasions; that is no slight on the quality of the rest of the songs - it is more a recognition of just how good an opener HYAENA is.
Trav has never been one to neglect a catchy melody or fail to create an infectious hook, but while hooks aren’t really the in-thing on this album, melodies absolutely are. His flows are at a peak level throughout UTOPIA; whether it’s that bouncy second half on THANK GOD, his wave riding on the album highlight MODERN JAM or his ability to set the pace on the fantastic SIRENS - Travis rarely misses a vocal beat here.
Now, it would be remiss of me not to discuss the stacked feature list on here. As he did with Birds In The Trap and Astroworld, Travis did not disclose who would be appearing on the tracklist - you had to listen for yourself. Note to all rappers, please do this from now on - it is so much better and makes the listening experience so much more pure and enjoyable.
In true Kanye West fashion - one of Travis’ idols - he lends the help of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on a few tracks here, and such is the modern trend with a lot of rappers these days; it’s not a good album without a James Blake hook anymore.
However, it is Beyoncé impeccably bossing her appearance on DELRESTO (ECHOES), Drake rapping about tea time on MELTDOWN and The Weeknd creating a stadium vibe chorus on Black Skinhead rip-off CIRCUS MAXIMUS that stand out from a name standpoint.
Elsewhere you have Westside Gunn, who goes off on LOST FOREVER, Teezo Touchdown adding some incredible attitude to MODERN JAM, as well as multiple appearances by 21 Savage, and the standard guest verses from some of Travis’ closest musical allies - Young Thug, Kid Cudi, SZA, Future, Playboi Carti and Swae Lee.
The shining examples of this album often come where you least expect them. Travis’ more vulnerable songs, such as MY EYES and I KNOW ?, where he isn’t trying to shake the ground or blow the roof off somewhere, actually provide some of UTOPIA’s highlights - thanks again to his remarkable ability to write a melody.
MY EYES is a hauntingly mesmeric listen. It utilises that crooning, distorted sound that Bon Iver have become synonymous for and creates a floating, atmospheric jam that acts almost as a breather between the pounding drums of the tracks either side of it. My only gripe? If you’re going to go through all that effort to get Sampha on your song, at least let him have more than three lines.
It’s like inviting LeBron James to your birthday party, him showing up, and then escorting him out five minutes later. It just makes no sense and serves as nothing but a tease. Still, great, great song, though.
There aren’t many low points on this album, but I do have to address them. As mentioned previously, CIRCUS MAXIMUS, as enjoyable as it is in the context of the album, lifts its entire drum pattern from Kanye’s Yeezus cut Black Skinhead, and once you hear it it becomes impossible to ignore.
As for lead single K-POP, featuring The Weeknd and Bad Bunny, it just doesn’t fit at all. Hypebeast said in their summary of the album that naming it K-POP, and featuring possibly the two biggest male names in music right now, it becomes all the more obvious upon listening to the song that it was a blatant SEO Google Analytics grab to maximise streams - which is absolutely NOT what Travis Scott is, or should be, about.
I’d go as far as to call it his worst song since the early mixtapes, but I don’t want to dwell too much on the limited negatives of this album - so will politely move on.
UTOPIA flows from track to track seamlessly, it really does take you on a journey of Travis’ psyche - even if there are occasions where he really doesn’t have much to say. But let’s have it right, Travis has never been *that* guy, the Kendrick or the Joey Bada$$ who can tell you a story with their lyrics. La Flame is all about a vibe and a psychedelic flavour, which doesn’t stutter even once on here.
Beyond maybe MELTDOWN, there aren’t that many truly standout hit records on here, and I am okay with that, but there will be some that aren't. Make no mistake, these songs will go multi-platinum because Travis Scott is one of the biggest artists on planet Earth, but there aren’t any sugarcoated hooks like on, say, through the late night, or Nightcrawler.
In a year where two completely different types of film dominated the cinemas, reaching out to vastly different audiences, it feels almost fitting that Travis Scott released his Oppenheimer after a career of Barbie’s. UTOPIA is his most considered effort to date, and while the question of whether it is his best is up for debate, you can never accuse him of resting on his laurels.
Travis Scott views his life behind a kaleidoscopic lens, letting us peep through on the odd occasion by releasing these vivid soundscape albums. While this glimpse was more distorted than the others, you could somehow see through it clearer than ever. The time is over for trying to understand Travis Scott the man, because I’m not 100% sure he’s really from this planet anyway.
Best Songs: HYAENA, MODERN JAM, MY EYES, SIRENS, TIL FURTHER NOTICE
Worst Songs: K-POP