Playing at just over a total of 20 minutes, ‘FM!’ falls short of the hard-hitting and avant-garde style that was so prominent on ‘Big Fish Theory’.
With most tracks sitting below the three-minute mark, Vince Staples, however, still shines on each track and keeps listeners inquisitive with his sweet choruses and humorous interludes. It seems like this albums aim is to keep the listener invested and intrigued, and it does this successfully. One noticeable thing about this album is the radio-feel it has attached to it, given the album’s title. The radio hosts and FM-tuner effects that play throughout set the relaxing and fresh atmosphere that you would associate and assume from somewhere like LA.
FM! also seems to be a clear display of Vince’s aptitude for irony, as he juxtaposes the theme of the summery West Coast with heavy production and raucous lyricism. On the albums first track ‘Feels Like Summer,’ Vince sings “Summertime in the LB wild/We gon’ party ’til the sun or the guns come out,’ and it’s clear that this is a play on the phrase ‘sun’s out gun’s out’ however could also be taken as a reference to gang-related violence in his hometown, a common topic that he expresses throughout the album.
It’s always great when an artist creates a project as a homage to their hometown and for themselves, however, it can be risky as there is a chance of losing an audience you have gained previously. On ‘FM!’ there are one or two memorable tracks (‘Feels Like Summer’ and ‘Run the Bands’), but they both fail to come close to the freshness that was present on Summertime ’06 and the experimental crossovers on ‘Big Fish Theory’.
Regardless of this, ‘FM!’ still remains an eminently cohesive album. Structured almost like a mixtape — Vince successfully reels listeners in, showing his talent and manages to balance accessibility with interest well.
Vince Staples has never been an artist to make music for other people’s benefit; he simply makes what he wants. This is evident not only on ‘FM!’ but throughout his discography, and it’s what makes him so unique and separates him from his peers. Once you grasp that this album differs to other structured albums, and even his own previous albums, it becomes easier to accept.
Stream ‘FM!’ on Spotify
By Nick Lowe