A farewell from the last boyband
Brockhampton’s final album, TM, was released as a surprise follow-up to their seventh album, The Family. The intense opening track “FMG,” is a perfect blend of EDM-like instrumentals that will wake anyone up from their sleep. Paired with the down south Texas flow from Kevin Abstract, this is a classic Brockhampton song featuring fast upbeat instrumentals with NSFW lyrics that add a fun edge to the common hip-hop topics like flexing material wealth.
That alternative Brockhampton feel is consistent through the whole record, with lyrics such as “Clout, but you don’t know yourself, what a curse” from “New Shoes” or the chill R&B-like chorus from “Listerine” emphasize that no one else has been having fun and staying true themselves quite like them. The most fun track, “Man On The Moon,” is a sweet, hyper-love song that takes inspiration from ‘90s disco.
Brockhampton is well known for being inclusive, with Kevin Abstract being openly gay. “Keep It Southern” describes the pedestal Abstract has been put on by his fans, insisting that he’s just a guy from the South making music, not an LGBT idol people need to look up to. “Animal,” with its distorted vocals and atmospheric floating-in-the-clouds instrumentals, feels like closing a book after spending months clinging onto the pages.
The second half of the album has more bittersweet themes of leaving, escapism and acceptance that flow within every song. “Duct Tape” is a storytelling anthem that leads with Jabari Manwa forgiving his mother for leaving him in America when she had to go back overseas, the maternity of recognizing what risk people make for the ones they love. “Better Things,” “Crucify Me” and “Always Something” are open letters to and from Brockhampton.
A sense of completion fills the listener with an array of emotions. The album takes on a more serious tone by the end; there’s more vulnerability than humor which gives the record a good balance of what the listener is used to and what’s new. TM ends with a more somber indie track, “Goodbye,” marking the end of the road for Brockhampton. They say their final farewell with lyrics such as “this ought to be the best time of our lives,” showing that it is officially the end of Brockhampton and the beginning of something new.
TM is one of the more underrated projects by Brockhampton but is beautifully crafted nonetheless. The album feels more like a “see you later” than “goodbye”, never letting the listeners lead astray too far with songs that are true to the group’s fun outlandish fashion but a reminder that good things must come to an end. This album is perfect for late summer nights, filled with friends and laughter and the bittersweet understanding that it won’t be this carefree forever.
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