It's been a long time coming, but Brockhampton is actually coming to an end. Of course, ever since the beginning, their days together have always been numbered-how can their personal dreams and creative ambitions be contained in the comfort of their blue couch? Their disbandment has been hinted at even since 2019 and the past few years have seen Brockhampton's members carve out their own careers, but the announcement seems final this time. With it, Brockhampton left the listeners with two parting albums.
The first one, The Family, features Kevin Abstract as the (almost) singular voice throughout the whole duration. He chronicled the group's ascent, stagnation, and decline through the album's 17 tracks. It seems quite curious that what is essentially Abstract's solo album is billed as a Brockhampton release, but who would better narrate the group's history rather than him? Afterall, Abstract is Brockhampton's founder and mastermind, but the absence of his bandmates still lends the album a sparse feeling. Is Brockhampton just an extension of Abstract's creative vision all along? The lack of other voices left the question unanswered, as Abstract sings "The group is over without being on the album".
The album's production-with sped-up soul samples-calls back to Ye's signature sound in his early albums. Fitting, since Brockhampton wouldn't exist without Ye. Their storied meeting at the fan forum KanyeToThe is as unlikely as it sounds, and the sonic influence soundtracking Brockhampton's final chapter is a full circle moment.
As a metaphorical closing of Brockhampton's book, lyrical contents to The Family are expectedly bittersweet-its rose-tinted glasses stained with a speck of bitterness. He recounted that it's difficult to hold a band together, that they seem to be not as close as they used to be, even how his longing for validation changed him. He still holds a reverence for his bandmates, however, as he sings "But next time, in another life, somewhere in the skies/We all will reunite/We'll have a cookout and you could bring the kids by" in the album opener, "Take it Back".
Abstract went as far as saying that the album is only made because of contractual obligations, much like Frank Ocean's fakeout of Endless to release Blonde. "This that murder shit, boy, this that learn to destroy/The label needed thirty-five minutes of music" he sings on the album's fourth track. The matter of breaking up seems more urgent as the album progresses, but doing so still hangs heavy on Abstract's heart. In The Family's closing, he made sure to list his bandmates by name before saying that the show's over.
The surprise follow-up, TM, dropped a day after The Family. Featuring a collective voice this time around, the release feels more like a proper Brockhampton album than The Family. In its press release, TM is described as "an album made up of songs that were started by the group during a two-week stint in Ojai, California in 2021, but were never fully completed during those sessions."-which does feel like what TM is.
The group's chemistry is still palpable-with members belting out verses like there's no tomorrow (there isn't)-but it's apparent that TM is a late-career release with its ending already in motion. The impact is double-edged, as the energy is evidently not at the same level as it was before, but the finality of the lyrical contents make the album poignant at the same time. "GPS don't even see the road end/Back when we kicked it on driveway" sings Matt Champion in "Crucify Me". It's everybody's last words, addressing what needs to be said before their time together ends.
As a closure, TM feels somewhat messy. The songs used to be unfinished and as a whole, the collection seems like throwaways-but perhaps this is symbolic of the group itself. Most of the time, a breakup is a messy affair, and this instance is no different. While this is in no way the high point of Brockhampton's discography, TM is an appropriate parting gift which embodies their final chapter.
(alm/tim)