Iridescence
| Brockhampton
Iridescence
Iridescence (stylized in all lowercase) is the fourth studio album by American rap group Brockhampton, released on September 21, 2018 by Question Everything, Inc. and RCA Records, as their major-label debut and the first installment of their The Best Years of Our Livestrilogy. The self-produced album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, as well as the group's own studio in Hawaii. It is their first album since rapper Ameer Vann's departure from the group following sexual misconduct allegations. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, becoming the group's first chart-topping album. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
The group’s fourth record is a pummeling collection of mosh-pit conductors, crowded songs, and fleeting moments of delicacy.
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Consequence of Sound
On their major label debut, the hip-hop boy band is a rap variety pack.
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Vulture
This group had to change — when you seek out new directions, you’re bound to hit a misstep or two — but Iridescence’s highs outnumber the lows.
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NME
In ‘Iridescence’, Brockhampton find their own truthful rebirth. And, regrouped and renewed, they're not going anywhere.
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Hot New Hip Hop
Brockhampton's eclecticism is less jarring, but no less present on "Iridescence." .
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Atwood Magazine
If iridescence is the start to another trilogy, as BROCKHAMPTON have stated, the final moments of the record promises some uplifting material to come, as members state: “These are the best years of our lives.”
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Hip Hop DX
As a highly experimental album, the occasional misfire is a guarantee. Ultimately, Iridescence is an exciting way to start a new trilogy and is a testament to Brockhampton’s perseverance.
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The Line of Best Fit
The allure of BROCKHAMPTON is obvious.
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Sputnik Music
Something new to believe in.
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The Diamondback
BROCKHAMPTON's 'iridescence' is a spiritual journey.
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D.J. Booth
BROCKHAMPTON have made it, and yet they have a ways to go. Their latest album is a tearful cataloging of the lows of their journey.
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Northern Transmissions
It’s the overt confrontational qualities however of “Fabric” that actually show Brockhampton hungry and ready to make something weird.
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Niner Times
This new album, iridescence, shows signs of how Brockhampton is able to move.
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KXSC Radio
Their journey is unique and harrowing and you can hear them struggling with it on this album -- and, perhaps, their inability to totally communicate their feelings is what makes this album complete rather than what pulls it apart at the seams.
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Soundblab
Iridescence’s strength comes from the unity of the band.
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DIY Mag
By confronting the bumps they’ve found in the road over the last year, Brockhampton have found a new sense of unity, and it shows that the band possess a truly special voice.
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Forbes
It’s going to take a lot of emotional endurance for Brockhampton to handle their future in the spotlight but, if their new album is any indication, these guys will be just fine.
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Rolling Stone
iridescence is an electric examination of Brockhampton’s past and present.
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Highsnobiety
BROCKHAMPTON’s ‘iridescence’ Is a Boundary-Breaking Triumph.
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Comm Media
It is a deeply personal and potentially upsetting first album for fans of the group but shows the maturation of a young boy band.
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The Musical Hype
LA-based hip-hop collective BROCKHAMPTON captivates on their major label debut album, ‘iridescence,’ their fourth album overall.
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Black Squirrel Radio
iridescence is a transitional record.
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The Ithacan
Rap collective glows in ‘iridescence’.
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Medium
Throughout the album, the band’s members address their struggles with self-worth, depression, suicidal thoughts, and difficult decisions they have had to make, reminding the world that the music industry is as rewarding as it is toxic.
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Clash Magazine
'Iridescence' feels like Brockhampton have regrouped musically to create a great, if not perfect, representation and platform to build on.
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WHIP Radio
Iridescence sets a favorable precedent for the next two albums that will come with this new trilogy.
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The Sentry
iridescence is a solid listen and a necessity for any committed BROCKHAMPTON follower but abandons the originality and boldness of earlier work from the group.
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College Media Network
An album divided into two distinct halves, the band explores new sonic territory and tackles emotional topics.
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The Breeze
BROCKHAMPTON’s 'iridescence' is packed and fully loaded.
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Stereogum
After multiple listens, some tracks reveal new levels of explosive beauty, while some remain harder and harder to listen to. But Brockhampton have achieved something here.
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Brooklyn Vegan
Right now it’s hard to see [this] as anything other than a triumph.
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Her Campus
BROCKHAMPTON has completely reinvented themselves with their new album iridescence.
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Positively Underground
Iridescence marks a more lush production pallet for the band.
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Diandra Reviews It All
I felt uplifted by this album.
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Mustang News
This fifty-minute collaboration of fourteen like-minded individuals will leave you wondering when Brockhampton will be back with their next project.
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The Gateway
The best boy band since One Direction returns with an unpredictable and emotional sound.
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All Music
Brockhampton have seized upon this defining moment with Iridescence, a defining peak in their young career.
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NPR Music
A lighthearted joyride.
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Setlist.fm
Iridescence has proved that BROCKHAMPTON is renewed, regrouped, and here to stay.
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Red Hawk Radio
We consider the album as a whole to be a success.
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Redbrick
Brockhampton's latest record is their most stylistically accomplished yet.
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TreeFingers
The emotional potency behind this album – especially those last three tracks – hit me harder than anything else the group have ever done, as well as much of what I’ve heard in 2018.
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34st
The emotional potency behind this album – especially those last three tracks – hit me harder than anything else the group have ever done, as well as much of what I’ve heard in 2018.
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The Excelsior
All in all iridescence is a great start to a new chapter in the Brockhampton story.
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Pitt News
Brockhampton regroups in new album ‘iridescence’.
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GoldenPlec
That the majority of ‘iridesence’ is either structureless musical brutalism or self-indulgent balladry demonstrates the band’s lack of maturity in the face of their biggest test yet.
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The Carolinian
Iridescence is a fantastic album and will be in the minds of listeners for years to come.
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ACRN
iridescence’s best quality is also its greatest weakness, giving it an amazing amount of staying power, even if it initially lacks a centralized presence.
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Thirstkey
The future of Brockhampton is a bright one.
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The Southern News
“Iridescence” is a strong record for the relatively new hip hop group, helping to solidify their place in the scene as owne of hip hops new and fresh driving forces.
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Rodrovich's Sporadic Thought-Precipitator
I feel that they made a bold move by just putting this emotionally raw, experimental, and yet, mature release.
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Edinboro Now
This was album was surprisingly entertaining for me. I recommend listeners to give this album a stream.
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A.V. Club Music
The group’s music is all over the place, often gloriously so.
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Culture Kings
Overall, the album can be a bit chaotic at times but its genuine nature and honest bars make up for it. Brockhampton have done it again.
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Spectrum Pulse
Iridescence is absolutely great, and you all need to hear it.
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The Daily Nighthawk
It has all types of tracks that can make you feel either happy and ecstatic, or get you thinking.
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C.U. Independent
This is a group that will warrant change socially and musically; their future is truly bright.
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The Rider Online
Brockhampton always reveals their individual truths through their art.
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Swarthmore Phoenix
Despite its flaws, “iridescence” occupies a unique spot in the roster of this year’s releases.
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MTSU Sidelines
Intricately written and precisely delivered, the vocals methodically complement the many layers of expert production behind each song.
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The Rice Thresher
“iridescence” is BROCKHAMPTON’s most experimental album yet.
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The Edge
BROCKHAMPTON begin their reinvention with a more experimental album that is still well worth your attention.
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The Chronicle
BROCKHAMPTON avoids saturation with “iridescence".
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The Royal Page
The boys are back.
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Transistor
That feeling of hope and enthusiasm are here for the boybands future… a future that we can’t wait to see unfold.
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WRVU Radio
I’m excited for what’s next, but in the meantime, we have plenty to unpack and appreciate in iridescence.
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Daily Lobo
Brockhampton has proven themselves to be a musical force to be reckoned with, as they have conquered a new sound that seems to be all their own.
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WVUA.fm
There are undoubtedly talented artists in “BROCKHAMPTON” and that talent in itself was enough to keep this album serviceable until they can gain a bit more chemistry in their new era of stardom.
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WZND Radio
Overall, while iridescence may not be the masterpiece that everyone was expecting. It still delivered enough to make fans happy and recruit new fans.
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Immortal Reviews
Not only does this record keep giving on the dynamic end, but it connects with the fans in an honest way - and you can’t go wrong with that.
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Focus Hip Hop
It’s a good project. I just don’t think it’s nearly as catchy as their previous work.
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The Lumberjack
Cohesive and packed with contributions from the whole group, the album demonstrates a worthy addition to the boyband's catalog of acclaimed albums.
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Affinity Magazine
On Iridescence, BROCKHAMPTON’s tone significantly becomes rawer and more vulnerable as opposed to the Saturation trilogy.
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Papyrus Reviews
Iridescence is an album loaded with creativity and new ideas.
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The Foul Beast
Whether you like your music a bit more heavy and banging, or filled with emotion and beautiful vocals, there is a song on Iridescent for everyone.
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Let It Happen Music Blog
Their lyrics and musical style are far more visceral than the tracks on the erratic and endlessly exuberant Saturation trilogy.
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Mosaic
“Iridescence” may not be a perfect album, but dammit if it doesn’t feel like a preface to one.
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Pointless Reviews That I Wrote
The most important thing that the group brings on Iridescence is vulnerability, something that is desperately needed in hip-hop.
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Barricade
This is by far BROCKHAMPTON’s most ambitious project to date, as it is not so much of an album as it is a story.
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Traklife Radio
The boys do it again and deliver one of my favorite albums of the year.
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vibeRANT
On iridescence, Brockhampton reaffirm their status not only as the best boyband on the planet, but also one of the most promising and unique acts of our generation.
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Motley Magazine
While not always consistent, Iridescence succeeds in many aspects, and is a strong jumping off point in a new era for the boy band.
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WPTS Radio
Overall, iridescence has a lot going for it, but definitely isn’t the best BROCKHAMPTON is capable of.
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Cen10Now
The album proves their talent and solidifies themselves as more than a one-trick pony, expanding them into areas they never have before, and executing their production amazingly.
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The Fresh Committee
Even in limbo, though, this inventive super-group still supplies next-level soundscapes and insightful lyricism.
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The All Around
There’s something about BROCKHAMPTON that makes each album they release a unique experience to listen to.
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The Wesleyan Artifex
Iridescence proves that the absence of one member cannot destroy such a talented and energetic band.
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WRBB Radio
With every subsequent release, the group’s sound becomes more polished.
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SoFlo Sound
Iridescence is just decent.
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Valley Ventana
Brockhampton seems miles ahead, but to their standards, the album could be better.
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U.D. Review
BROCKHAMPTON makes boy bands cool again on “iridescence”.
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Zone Coverage
It’s a really good album, just not a great one.
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Craig Chen
iridescence reveals the emotions bubbling within the best boyband since One Direction.
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Tulane Hullabaloo
Coming back stronger and reflective, the first part of “The Best Years of Our Lives” trilogy promises an invigorated, mature BROCKHAMPTON.
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Rubicon Online
New BROCKHAMPTON album proves strength.
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Queen's Radio
Iridescence is an album that spotlights the emotional depth, talent and cohesive energy of hip-hop's first boyband BROCKHAMPTON.
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FLOOD Magazine
This is BROCKHAMPTON’s most cohesive effort to date.
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The Mancunion
This album is an important first step in Brockhampton finding a new style in an era post-Ameer Vann.
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Repeat Mag
Go and give it a listen, it’s definitely what you wouldn’t expect from Brockhampton, but it’s their most courageous and interesting record to date.
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The Sage News
If you are already like Brockhampton or want to see what they are about this would fit you quite well.
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Everything Must Swing
Clocking in at just short of 50 minutes, and sporting a solid 15 tracks (including one and a half skits), iridescence kicks off with a grand slam in the listener’s face.
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Sacred Exile
[It's] made with the same evident attention to detail, flow, and texture, and a continuing document of perhaps the most cohesive, experimental, and authentic rap collective since Dungeon Family.
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The Dog Dies Reviews
Iridescence is a smart, creative, haunting and raw project, one that I believe will stand the test of time with no issue.
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The Needle Drop
The all-American boyband makes its major label debut with an album that shows emotional and creative maturation despite occasionally gimmicky production and some members getting outshined by others.
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Blended Mag NYC
BROCKHAMPTON is daring on their new project and while sometimes jumbled, this new sound is intriguing and something to look forward to.
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WTBU Radio
There are for sure rough patches, but it’s actually a really cool and different direction for Brockhampton to go into.
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KSDB.fm
This album does have some saving graces, but for the most part it was just an okay listen that occasionally made me ask why stuff was made the way it was.
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Frequency Shifts
Brockhampton had a lot to prove on iridescence . . . I personally think they more then achieved that goal and on a scale of one to ten, I’d give this album like a bunch of flame emojis.
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The Bowdoin Orient
Their creativity will continue to shape music for years down the road.
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S.I.N.
iridescence is a statement from one of the most captivating groups in music today that they are here to stay, and that if anything, they’ve become even more complete as a unit in the nine months since the end of the SATURATION era.
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Treble Magazine
Artistry is Brockhampton’s forte, and Iridescence is their masterpiece.
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Philly
This group continues to traffic in showstopping moments rather than memorable songs.
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Brown State of Mind
Brockhampton shows up on iridescence proving that their learning curve is steep and that a setback wouldn’t break up the boy band.
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Album Analysis
I’d recommend it to those who fully jive with any facet of rap; otherwise, it’s not that big of a deal.
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GIGsoup Music
The truth that iridescence speaks to is simple: no one else can do what BROCKHAMPTON can’t help doing.
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WRSU Radio
Iridescence is an album that isn’t afraid of expanding the limits of the Brockhampton sound.
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Hollywood Life
They promised us new music, and they totally delivered.
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The Echo
BROCKHAMPTON outdo themselves once again with their unique fourth studio album, iridescence.
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The Review Geek
Regardless of whether you take to the group’s new sound, the raw, lyrical content and interesting stylistic clashes make it one of the better hip hop albums released this year and well worth checking out.
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