After releasing a handful of mixtapes since 2009, Chiddy Bang are back with their very first real album, Breakfast. It’s a happy mix of rap and pop that stays true to their sound without being boring.
The album opens with “Intro”, a mellow, bob-your-head-and-jam kind of song. It’s a great opener; it gives you a sense of where this album will take you and then it takes you running in the opposite direction. The title track, “Breakfast”, is as close to hard rap as we’re going to get on “Breakfast”. It’s not Kanye or Jay, but it’s not bad. It’s followed by “Handclaps & Guitars”, which is the same kind of rap, with a side of guitar and a whole lot of “Hi, I’m here to get stuck in your head for the rest of the day”.
“Mind Your Manners” (feat. Icona Pop) is also another song that you’ll be humming long after you turn it off. It’s an upbeat number with excellent production and layering that uses Icona Pop’s high vocals to their fullest potential. “Ray Charles” follows and starts with a soulful choir line that drops into a bouncy bluesy rhythm. There are flourishes of brass in the mix too—and if that doesn’t get you excited, then there is something seriously wrong.
“Does She Love Me?” is a something for The Weeknd fans listening to “Breakfast”. It’s a nice smooth song to clean your palate for “Run It Back” (feat. Shirazi) and “Out 2 Space” (feat. Gordon Voidwell). “Whatever We Want”, a throwaway that the album would have been better without, leads into “Interlude”, a nice musical break done in the same style as “Intro”. “Interlude” sounds out of place, but it seamlessly bridges the beginning of the album to the end.
It seems to be all uphill after that. “Happening” is a get-up-and-dance track and is bound to get stuck in your head. “Baby Roulette” will get your foot tapping with its Super Mario undertones and summer-tinged sound. “Talking to Myself” slows everything down nicely. It sounds like an extension to “Baby Roulette”, and unless you check the song listing on the album, you’ll probably end up thinking that it is. The repetition is a little upsetting, but it’s a smooth piece that’s easy on the ears. The album closes with “4th Quarter”, another throwaway. A choppy wannabe hardcore rap song, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth after the sounds of “Interlude” and “Baby Roulette”.
If Kanye West and The Weeknd had a baby, we’re pretty sure it would be Chiddy Bang. They are not yet quite as masterful as Kanye or as smooth as The Weeknd, but they’re halfway there and they get an A for effort. This is a great album for the summer, so be sure to have it on deck for when the weather heats up.
MMM½
