ALBUM REVIEW: Hardstone Psycho by Don Toliver
Don Toliver’s fourth studio album ‘HARDSTONE PSYCHO’ does not fail to impress. It is, perhaps, Toliver’s most different project in terms of both sound and aesthetic. This proves to be a worthwhile gamble. However, the experimentation of this album created a unique and fun experience. There are lulls, but the highs are much higher and far more consistent.
The first three songs of the album are all standouts. ‘KRYPTONITE’ is one of the best album intros of the year thus far. Eerie synths and a mellow guitar chord that compliments Toliver’s singing lead into an emphatic beat drop. The beat switch changes the genre of the song from an RnB and rock fusion to trap.
The lyricism in the chorus is clever, as the title of the song is used in a witty way.
“She pullin’ on my chain at the crib tonight // Call me Superman, she my kryptonite,” Toliver sang.
Slurring the words “crib tonight” so that they sound the same as “kryptonite” is a great use of the song’s title that flows well with the theme of the verse.
This fusion of rap and rock continues on the next song ‘TORE UP.’ This song takes inspiration from short-lived screamo band She Died Real Pretty, sampling vocals from their song ‘Industry Sets In,’ in its breaks.
‘TORE UP’ features identical riffs and chords of its inspiration, making for a hyper rockstar themed chorus. The repetition of the words “tore up” in the chorus due to its fast pace and electric guitar backing is fun to sing along to.
The third song ‘BROTHERSTONE’ changes musical aesthetics drastically from the first two, making rap the primary focus. Kodak Black’s feature showcases a slower, choppier flow that provides a stark contrast to the faster, more perpetual flow of Toliver. The piano keys and bass of the instrumental work harmoniously together, creating pockets in the instrumental that Black’s flow fits into well.
‘ATTITUDE’ is a temporary lull. The features of both Charlie Wilson and Cash Cobain aren’t long or interesting enough to be very impactful, and Toliver’s verses are forgettable in comparison to the rest of the album. The high hats in the instrumental being the foundation of the rhythm sets it apart from the heavier bass on the rest of the album. This makes ‘ATTITUDE’ a unique dance track, which helps make up for mediocre verses.
The next song, ‘BANDIT,’ immediately snaps listeners out of the lull left by ‘ATTITUDE.’ Interpolating Tame Impala’s ‘One More Hour’ and looping it into a trap instrumental led to an amazing beat that does justice to its inspiration. Toliver rides the beat well, and the unique production gives ‘BANDIT’ the potential to be a genre fusing club banger.
The next pair of songs, ‘GLOCK’ and ‘ICE AGE’ aren’t notable in comparison to the greater songs on this album. ‘GLOCK’ sees vocals from Whitney Houston’s ‘Exhale (Shoop Shoop)’ sampled and used to support the songs’ melody. Despite being a decent melodic dance track, when compared to ‘BANDIT’ the use of sampling here isn’t nearly as creative. The hook being catchy compensates for this enough for the song to be a fun listen however.
“Hold my glock when I’m in the club // There’s some hoes in the back and they wanna come show me love // Took my dogs to the strip and I spent a dirty dub,” Toliver sang.
The subject of the chorus being Toliver asking his friend to hold his gun so that he can flirt without being intimidating gives the song a humorous charm.
‘ICE AGE,’ although not a bad song, is sonically uninteresting in comparison to the rest of the album. Both Travis Scott and Don Toliver’s verses on this song sounded like less passionately created repetitions of verses from some of their most popular songs. Travis Scott has a much better feature later on ‘INSIDE’ making his average performance here more glaring.
The next stretch of the album is its best. Of the next four songs, three stand out uniquely.
In “4X4,” Toliver displays his ability to rap a range of different vocal inflections, making for one of the most unique vocal performances on the album. Toliver raps in various cadences during this song, making each verse feel unique. This keeps his rapping engaging and fun, while accentuating his vocal inflections well.
‘PURPLE RAIN’ starts by switching paces from ‘4X4,’ with alternating singing from Future and Toliver before some of the best rap verses on the album. The transition from singing to rapping on this song is a smooth one.The synths compliment the autotunes of both Toliver and Future, adding gravitas to their vocals when they sing. With both artists giving solid performances and Metro Boomin’s production setting a lush backdrop, ‘PURPLE RAIN’ is a good display of versatility.
On ‘BACKSTREETS,’ Toliver gives a fantastic melodic rap performance. Teezo Touchdown doing only background vocals and ad libs rather than a full verse or a bridge was a missed opportunity. This is somewhat made up for by the hook being one of the catchiest on the album. The melody being carried by a simplistic guitar loop works well with all of Toliver’s flows and gives the song a well crafted smoothness.
‘NEW DROP’ is one of the least memorable songs on the album. Nothing in this song stands out as unique or impressive. The bouncing bass and synths during the chorus are meant to give it the feel of a club dance track. This concept is executed much better on ‘GLOCK,’ especially with the r&b elements of that song making it inherently more melodic. The rapping on ‘NEW DROP’ is also some of the most uninteresting on the album.
‘DEEP IN THE WATER’ is the most intimate song on the album. This song sees Toliver sing more passionately than he has at any point on the album thus far, and it shows glimpses of lyrical introspectiveness. He addresses some of the hardships of his relationship and his infidelity. The subject matter lends itself to being a muse for Toliver’s best singing performance on the album.
“You said you wanna take control of me but I got all the answers // You want me done with the strip club, you know I’m done with them dancers,” Toliver sang.
‘DEEP IN THE WATER’ would be much better if the verses were longer so that the introspection could be explored more. Instead of being one of the best songs on the album, it ends up being mediocre. The lack of in depth lyrical extrapolation of the subject matter leaves much untapped potential that great singing isn’t enough to make up for.
The final stretch of ‘HARDSTONE PSYCHO’ is decent, not as impressive as the first or third fourths of the album.
Both ‘INSIDE’ and ‘5 TO 10’ showcase the psychedelic melody that Toliver is known for. Travis Scott’s feature on “INSIDE” is better used than that of his verse on ‘ICE AGE.’ His singing transitions into Toliver’s verse smoothly, and together the two effectively encapsulate the spacey atmospheric feeling they specialize in. This sound is continued on ‘5 TO 10,’ but with a more upbeat instrumental and a catchier hook.
The final two songs, however, are duds. ‘LAST LAUGH’has the worst hook on the album. The majority of it is unenthusiastic repetition that builds into a dryly repeated laugh. The verses do little to make up for this as they are probably the worst rapped on the album. The instrumental is primarily a simple piano loop, which does little to mask the bad writing and boring delivery on this song. What was supposed to be a triumphant penultimate track ends up being disappointing.
The outro ‘HARDSTONE NATIONAL ANTHEM’ is a flat end to this project. The verses imply substantial subject matter. However with the first verse only being two full lines, this substance isn’t elaborated on.
“Fashion statement, wear my heart on my sleeve,” Toliver sang.
Although a clever bit of wordplay, it doesn’t transition into a bigger theme. The singing is good here, but there isn’t enough beyond that in this song that it doesn’t matter much. ‘HARDSTONE NATIONAL ANTHEM’ had the potential to be a great heartbreak ballad, but only teases going in that direction. This lack of extrapolation leads to a lackluster song and finale for the album.
In totality, ‘HARDSTONE PSYCHO’is an impressive album. The musical experimentation on this album leads to some of Toliver’s most unique and enjoyable work to date. There are, however, just enough moments of unused potential– that when accompanied with a lackluster ending– keep this album from being sublime.
Final Rating: 7/10
Micheal Jacobs III is a staff writer for The Palmetto. He thinks Jordan versus Lebron is the most overrated debate ever. His main focuses are music, basketball and combat sports. If you have a comment or tip for Micheal, feel free to contact him on social media or through email.
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