With just a minuscule hum, Kid Cudi’s voice is instantly recognizable. For years, Cudi has capitalized on an authentic psychedelic sound, producing tracks with a delightfully serene vibe. Clearly, it has worked in his favor as he has been one of the most notable names in hip-hop since bursting on the scene in 2009.
Cudi’s eighth studio album coincides with the release of his passion project film on Netflix. The feature film itself has most of the songs on “Entergalactic” present in its soundtrack, with the full release just adding four more tracks overall. While the film has been viewed as a hidden gem, the album is Cudi’s most disappointing performance since “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.” To be fair, the record and film are meant to complement each other. Indeed, the album’s romantic themes act as a backdrop to the film’s events, creating lovely on-screen scenes. But as a standalone project, “Entergalactic” doesn’t live up to Cudi’s talent.
However, that doesn’t mean this album is an absolute failure. There are still components of it that exemplify Cudi’s greatness, such as its top-tier production. The introduction track “Entergalactic Theme” gives the best insight into what the rest of the project feels like in terms of instrumentals. Not a single word is spoken within the minute and a half of music, but the ambience is immaculate. It feels like you’re floating through the synths, riding a quiet wave of delicate spacey beats. This type of instrumental is perfect for a nighttime car ride or those moments when you find yourself staring at the ceiling after a long day. Other songs like “New Mode” and “Willing To Trust” also have a familiar feeling–being digestible in their simplicity while also carrying that unique groove.
Although the production is commendable, Cudi’s songwriting is what makes this album generic and a bit of a letdown. For context, Cudi has been consistently an overachiever when it comes to self-reflection in his lyrics. Looking back on some of his greatest hits like “Day ’N’ Nite” and “Pursuit of Happiness” or more recent performances like “Reborn” and “The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady,” Cudi spends plenty of time on introspection. Whether it’s speaking about his mental state and emotions or his stints in rehab, the deep sentimental content of his songs adds to the smooth energy he utilizes so efficiently. What separates the content of those songs from what he spews out on “Entergalactic” is substance. To match the film, much of “Entergalactic” revolves around falling in love and related feelings. But, Cudi’s lyrics and interpretations of these themes just seem borderline and uninteresting.
Back-to-back tracks “Livin’ My Truth” and “Maybe So” both exemplify this discrepancy from the Cudi of the past. At face value, the songs achieve the album’s objective of setting a mood. “Livin My Truth” has a satisfying bounce to it whereas “Maybe So” slows everything down into a heartfelt spoken word segment featuring quiet guitar chords and soothing string instruments. In spite of the relaxing aura, the lack of lyrics in both is a hindrance, and it appears at times that Cudi is practically stretching out his words to fill up the songs due to possibly underwriting. For instance, “Maybe So” sits at a run length of around three minutes and forty seconds. Within said time, the most significant lyrics come towards the beginning of the track, and the quality drops off as the song continues. Cudi fills most of the song by repetitively singing “And they say that I’ll heal in time / Maybe so, maybe not / Take it slow and you’ll soon be fine / Maybe so, maybe not.” Structurally, there is only one true verse of this song, and the rest of the lyrics just come across as bland. At certain points, the instrumentals would also be better off on their own without Cudi speaking over them.
Granted, this album is appreciated by diehard Cudi fans with the distinctive hums and the harmonies of his alternative hip-hop craft. Still, parts of this album fall short of what has made Cudi a successful artist. It can be argued that the point of the project is to work hand-in-hand with the Netflix film, but it doesn’t rise to Cudi’s standards. Out of many albums I’ve been excited for this year, “Entergalactic” is one of the few that fails to live up to my expectations.
