This gamble, however, pays off in a big way, as the album’s desolate vibe, accompanied by Earl’s unsparing delivery and spare lyrics, stands as a stark exploration of depression, the fragility of one’s mental health, and in its final tracks – grief. In some cases, it’s even difficult to understand what he’s saying without looking up the lyrics elsewhere, which seems like a meditated response to those that appreciated his original, Eminem-style wordy appeal: a clue to, this time around, focus on both what he is saying and how he is saying it.

His low, barking verses lie buried in the midst of an pile of stuttering sample loops backed by strange, off-beat drum programming. Some Rap Songs is an excellent showcase of his current talents. It would be a mistake to think that Earl no longer prizes wordplay his knack for finding a perfectly phrased verse remains, but he’s also found meaning and purpose in delivering powerful truths with succinct and honest language. He has grown increasingly abstract, his beat selection and verses turning lo-fi, muted, and tangled over the three years since his previous album, his various soundcloud singles, and Some Rap Songs. Starting as a DOOM-worshipping wordsmith who reveled in foul language, imagery, and controversy, his music has turned inward as he’s grown older, now reflecting on his struggles with depression. Earl Sweatshirt has followed an intriguing and rewarding path over the past eight years.

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