The Earvin Edit

2 years after the release of Hardstone Psycho, the Cactus Jack signee is back with an 18-track project. 

Written by Earvin Adjei

When you’re attached to a name as large as Travis Scott, it can be hard to establish yourself as your own artist. Over the years, Don Toliver has built quite a name for himself and cultivated his own cult fanbase. His last album was praised by fans and critics alike, but what does this one have to offer?

The Good:

To nobody’s surprise, the production here is stellar. Don has proven to be one of the better beat selectors currently present in hip-hop, and that remains the case on Octane. His music, as of recently, has been an infusion of slow, methodical beats with elements of several other genres. This album sees him refine and master the sounds he’s been experimenting with over the years. Body is a groovy track that samples Justin Timberlake’s 2002 hit Rock Your Body and is sure to get you moving. In contrast, a song like TMU slows things down a bit with an intimate instrumental that has you feel like you’re in a candlelit room littered with rose petals. No matter the mood, the production remains consistently sharp.

Every feature on this album fits like a glove. Most artists tend to include names they know will boost streams, but here it feels like each featured artist was tailor-made for their respective track. There were only six, but each one felt intentional. Yeat on Rendezvous gives a fun and futuristic sound. The Travis Scott-assisted Rosary sounds like a warm summer day, and Travis’s melodic, spacey vocals glide over the beat. Rema and Teezo Touchdown both fit well over the slower and euphoric sounds present on Secondhand and All The Signs, and SahBabii matches Don’s dreamy aesthetic on K9  as well. No matter who the feature was, one thing remained evident: they all came to deliver. 

The Bad:

In today’s streaming landscape, a tracklist of 15 plus tracks is something you can all but guarantee. The length of the tracklist works against the project. While there are more hits than misses, there are periods where songs begin to sound a bit similar to the last, making the project sound a bit repetitive. 

Listen, Don has always been a style over substance type of rapper, but stronger lyricism would have elevated the project. A tracklist with similar-sounding songs combined with a lack of any real substance can make for a poor mix. There are a lot of what I like to call “cookie-cutter bars”. An example of this can be found as early as the intro track. On E85 Don raps, “We laugh all day like Dumber and Dumber. I’m ’bout to shoot my shot, she lovin’ my jumper. My favoritе outfit is her see-through romper”. Very basic rhyme scheme. 

Final Verdict:

Octane is another project that inches Don Toliver closer to superstardom. He has carved his own lane, making easily digestible music that both casual fans and his core audience can enjoy. The project may lack substance and feel dull at moments but it’s still a good listen nonetheless. 7.5 out of 10.