BROCKHAMPTON, a crew of seven Texan brats, are easily one of the exciting acts to emerge in 2015. They’re innately attuned to the musical zeitgeist in the way only kids can be. They work with with plenty of sounds we’ve heard before–trap oriented rap, sadboi crooning, experimental RnB–but that’s where the familiarity ends. BROCKHAMPTON can fit all those disparate sounds into a single track in a way nobody else has – yet.
BROCKHAMPTON are Kevin Abstract, JOBA, Ameer Vann, Matt Champion, Dom McLennon, Rodney Tenor, and Merlyn Wood. They bill themselves an “all American Boyband,” which initially seems at odds with their sound: they’re more provocateurs than pop-stars. But, as Craig Jenkins over at Noisey explained, once you get to know them, the label fits perfectly: “Brockhampton doesn’t behave like a rap group. The vocals are shared, voices intertwined, rather than traded off verse for verse.” They’re a boyband for kids who live online.
We were into their first single, HERO. Now they’ve returned with a new offering: Dirt. It’s another lengthy track; BROCKHAMPTON’s songs usually run past five minutes. It’s a testament to the group’s strength when you find yourself wishing their tracks were even longer than that. Peep the Dirt video now, ’cause it’s well worth getting acquainted with these boys.