The absurd underground rapper Weiland has released his most ambitious album yet, titled Vices.

Weiland previously has been known as a loud-mouthed character, notorious for his ludicrous antics. The sudden 180-degree turn in both sound and aesthetic on this new album feels almost like another one of his jokes, but the music is actually great.

It’s unclear how, but the legendary record producer Mike Dean took Weiland under his wing during the two-year creation of this project and produced the vast majority of it. 

Weiland has always been a melodic artist and used autotune in his music, but “Blaming Myself” has what may be his best showcase of vocal range. Sadly, its outro feels like it is building up into something epic and exciting, but falls flat. This does not lessen the quality of the track much, though.

The best track on the album is “Dangerous Woman.” Everything about the song is amazing. The synth bassline hits hard, it has the best chorus, and the bridge takes those listening to another world. Additionally, “Broken Ego” also has a great bridge that lasts for 30 seconds. The drum’n’bass production and reverb-heavy vocals as a whole are satisfying.

With such a grand entrance into the genre, Weiland seems to have potential longevity in alternative music. This is his most consistent album, and he nicely harnesses the flamboyant energy of an ’80s Britpop artist with his many voices and styles during some songs, which his older fans will be taken aback to hear.