by Lark Allen

Unnerving, captivating and evocative: SU’s Yung Pope’s brand new album ID gives listeners and multi-dimensional listening experience. Just released this January, Yung Pope (Miguel Toledo) blends various instrumental sounds with slower melodies throughout the EP’s nine songs. It’s genre-less in the sense that it checks off no musical “box”—it’s a sound entirely its own. 

The album starts off with “Intro (Unattainable),” an almost 30-second track with soft, quiet humming. Listeners are then hit with the brash and compelling second track, “Imleagues Diss.” Heavy, sludgy electronic sounds dominate this track, giving the nostalgic feel of early techno music. It’s backed by purposely off-beat percussion, giving the song a provocative backdrop that draws the listener further into Yung Pope’s mind. 

As ID continues to progress, the sounds that Yung Pope uses in the tracks develop. “Anesthesia,” the EP’s sixth track, features plucky, electro chords that mix well with wistful vocals. Similar to the beginning of the album, a quiet track is followed by a louder one. Take “Superego,” for example. The song immediately follows “Anesthesia,” and is worlds away from its predecessor. It’s more an experimentation with various sounds and how they blend with simple melody. The song starts off with a machine-like whirring sound that leads into a series of simple melodies, giving the listener the sense that they’re inside a machine.

The latter half of the album takes a turn from the louder, brash sounds that are frequently heard in its beginning. This change is audible in the album’s eighth track, “The Oxidizing Ring” featuring Scüderia. Perhaps one of the album’s most melodic tracks, it’s heavy on chiming keyboard synth that’s overlaid with distortion. Heavy on echoing and fuzzy sound effects, the track evokes a sense of peaceful mystery for the listener. 

ID covers a lot of musical territory, and is in a genre of its own. At times, the tracks work to create a sense of foreboding in the listener, while at other times they manage to evoke a sense of ethereal peace. It’s not easy to create these transitions, but Yung Pope has it down. Comparing this album to his previous EP’s (Prinz and Solitude, both released in 2019), ID carries more complexity than his previous work—the EP’s were more elemental and synth-based with little percussion. They’re laden with emotion and slower than ID’s unapologetic sound. 

Yung Pope’s album is anything but predictable. The songs keep listeners guessing—the second a beat begins to repeat, it stops abruptly or either picks up an entirely different rhythm. Yung Pope knows what he’s doing, and the album flows like a series of waves for the listener. ID is short, it’s length is only a few seconds over 11 minutes. However, it doesn’t feel rushed or short, likely due to its captivating sounds that keep the listener guessing what new sound will come up next. 

Yung Pope’s bio on Spotify describes him as desiring to bring out emotions through his songs. Giving ID a listen does just that; it has the ability to keep listeners on their toes while remaining consistent in its unique genre. 

Listen to ID here.