When it comes to Yung Lean, people usually fall into one of three categories.
They either love Yung Lean, hate Yung Lean or have no idea who or what Yung Lean is. For those who fall into the third category, Yung Lean is a hip-hop artist from Stockholm, Sweden, best known for his relaxed rapping style, emotional subject matter and trippy production. His first studio album, “Unknown Memory,” was released in 2014.
With the release of his second studio album, “Warlord,” last month, Lean maintains this style. Overall it feels just like what you would expect from Yung Lean. Lean isn’t taking any risks with “Warlord,” but he maintains his style with lyrics ranging from clearly-spoken to muffled and distant, and at other times, trippy and almost spooky.
Some of the songs on the album are reminiscent of Lean’s previous releases — spacey, with the lyrics taking a backseat to the baseline, accented by floating sound effects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s58zHsPM0A4
Other songs on the album end up falling a bit short of what Lean is capable of. “Highway Patrol (Ft. Blades)” is flat and repetitive without any change in Lean’s tone or in the beat that backs him up. The lyrics in this song are hard to understand and leave you waiting for the beat to drop.
Still, other numbers highlight the best of Lean. “Fantasy” (Ft. Lil Flash) is one of these. It places Lean’s classic stream of consciousness lyrics on display with a nice beat to back it up. The collaboration with Lil Flash helps to break up any potential monotony and gives the song depth.
Whether you are new to the stylings of Yung Lean or you are a longtime fan, “Warlord” is worth a listen. Yung Lean does not pull any new tricks out of the hat, but he continues to build on the unique style that he has displayed in his past releases. The album is available for streaming on Spotify.
@Unchained116