Album Review // BROCKHAMPTON // TM

RCA Records

Brockhampton technically released two final albums in 2022. The first, The Family, was a Kevin Abstract solo vehicle detailing the group's beginnings, journey to fame, and eventual dissolution. It was also one of our top 10 albums of the year. The second — TM — was a surprise follow-up the next night. Billed as a parting gift for fans, TM (or The Mountain) is composed of demos that were initially slated for the band's seventh studio album. While it does carry an air of "compilation" with it, it stands out as a unique collection due to its genre fluidity and strong production work from member Matt Champion.

In fact, the first four songs act like a microcosm for the project as a whole — there's "FMG," a dirty opening track harkening back to the band's opus (iridescence); "Listerine," a spaced-out autotune number by way of Travis Scott; and finally, "New Shoes," which showcases some of the members' hungriest verses since GINGER. There's certainly a lot on display here, enough that new fans may find it jarring, but for those in need of one last fix from the genre-denying boy band, TM only becomes more rewarding with repeat listens.