ID by Yung Pope Album Review — 20 Watts Magazine | Premier Music Publication of SU

As ID continues to progress, the sounds that Yung Pope uses in the tracks develop. “Anesthesia,” the EP’s sixth track, features plucky, electro chords that mix well with wistful vocals. Similar to the beginning of the album, a quiet track is followed by a louder one. Take “Superego,” for example. The song immediately follows “Anesthesia,” and is worlds away from its predecessor. It’s more an experimentation with various sounds and how they blend with simple melody. The song starts off with a machine-like whirring sound that leads into a series of simple melodies, giving the listener the sense that they’re inside a machine.

The latter half of the album takes a turn from the louder, brash sounds that are frequently heard in its beginning. This change is audible in the album’s eighth track, “The Oxidizing Ring” featuring Scüderia. Perhaps one of the album’s most melodic tracks, it’s heavy on chiming keyboard synth that’s overlaid with distortion. Heavy on echoing and fuzzy sound effects, the track evokes a sense of peaceful mystery for the listener. 

ID covers a lot of musical territory, and is in a genre of its own. At times, the tracks work to create a sense of foreboding in the listener, while at other times they manage to evoke a sense of ethereal peace. It’s not easy to create these transitions, but Yung Pope has it down. Comparing this album to his previous EP’s (Prinz and Solitude, both released in 2019), ID carries more complexity than his previous work—the EP’s were more elemental and synth-based with little percussion. They’re laden with emotion and slower than ID’s unapologetic sound.