This isn’t a review because I’m just listening right now myself. I’m just letting everyone know that, despite all the Kanye hype this week, Future is the rapper you can actually listen to today.

I’m also publishing this because, as of one full listen, EVOL is fucking fire.

In a sharp swerve from the epic sprawl of his last album, DS2, this is a tight collection of 11 tracks totaling 39 minutes. I love concision; it bodes well for quality control, especially in the world of hip-hop. It’s already sounding like his best work since Honest, the groundbreaking 2014 album that got me into Future in the first place.

There doesn’t seem to be any massive tonal shift from his earlier work, but Future has always been such a unique voice that it begs the cliché: don’t fix what ain’t broken. The production wraps his digital alien persona in a warm cocoon of reverb-laden synths and shuffling, muffled drum programming. It’s one of those holistic sounds you either love or reject outright. Thankfully for me, it’s a world I love sinking into.

Two important notes: the beat on Photo Copied has me spinning in space, and The Weeknd feature on Low Life is subtle but super effective.

I should also mention that I love the cover art. The molten flowers encapsulate the backwards-love meaning of the title almost as well as the landmark Sonic Youth album it’s named after. But that’s not important right now.

What is important, is that you can listen right here: