BROCKHAMPTON
“BUZZCUT (feat. Danny Brown)”
WIMITLA. SONG REVIEW
by Elie Weitzman and Alix Sholomon
“BUZZCUT” Album Artwork / Click to Listen!
Without an official track release since 2019’s GINGER, Brockhampton fans have quite literally been starving for content. America’s self-proclaimed favorite boyband has been out of the spotlight for over a year now, a hiatus that was most likely prolonged by the sexual harassment and grooming accusations levied against multiple members of the group. Other than an album that was released on Youtube and then immediately deleted, it’s been radio silence for months. However, all that changed on Wednesday with the release of “BUZZCUT,” the first single off of their new album ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE. It’s safe to say: the boys are back.
There’s something that needs to be said: this song is not for everyone. It isn’t the most experimental stuff out there, but it is definitely a large departure from the Saturation Trilogy. Yes, that era consisted of some great experimentation, but nothing like this. The entire song sends a message that Brockhampton is evolving. Everything from the beat to the Danny Brown feature is representative of this idea. They are truly embracing the vibe that they seem to want to emulate, independent of the typical studio interference and fan backlash that tends to follow big releases. It is almost as though at the height of their popularity — with “SUGAR” taking over TikTok last summer — they are going in an entirely different direction, weeding out all of the new fans who fell in love with the introspective and melodic music of their previous album and attracting those who love their more experimental and in-your-face side. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with liking GINGER; however, that era of their music careers is long gone.
The song itself is aggressive and hyper, which is a perfectly on-brand move for a band whose music is anything but subtle. As mentioned previously, some fans will feel alienated by this new direction that the boys have decided to go in. That being said, it is clear that they chose this path. And considering the quality of this single and the amount of time they’ve put into developing their new sound, we expect big things for the upcoming album. 7.5/10