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Album reviews Music

PARTYNEXTDOOR

Rating: NN


The first thoughts that come to mind while listening to the self-produced debut mixtape from PARTYNEXTDOOR are not about the mysterious young Mississauga singer, but about Drake and Noah “40” Shebib and their desire to sonically brand Toronto.

PARTYNEXTDOOR is signed to Drake’s October’s Very Own roster, and his sound exemplifies the recent wave of singsongy rap emphasizing sputtering hi-hats and reverberating bass optimized for strip-club ass-clapping or cruising in the car.

It’s an aesthetic PARTYNEXTDOOR realizes convincingly, albeit predictably. The mixtape’s most interesting details are glossed over: the wheezing sax outro on Wild Bitches that provides a jazzy jolt of analog, or the velvety Miguel sample on Break From Toronto.

The vocal production is full of unoriginal and pining pitch-shifted runs that are symptomatic of the overall issue: PARTYNEXTDOOR is conforming to a style rather than forging his own. Lyrics about popping champagne and pussy add to the impression that this one-dimensional machismo is cynically conceived for mass appeal.

Top track: Over Here

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