Swedish rappers Yung Lean and Bladee have quietly released a pop collab album and it exceeds expectations.
Usually pop projects released by rappers are hardly worth mentioning. However, Psykos is a huge step forward in both artists’ careers.
A big challenge for rappers in general and Yung Lean in particular is sounding good while singing. But Psykos is the album where that all changes: Listeners no longer get a tone deaf Yung Lean being carried by Auto-tune.
On the track “Golden God,” Lean is able to rap and sing while sounding entirely coherent and masking his thick Swedish accent as well. Lean’s quick and choppy flow, which is separated by Bladee and the song’s chorus, makes “Golden God” one of the best tracks on the album.
The track “Still” is the best track vocally for Yung Lean and focuses mostly on just Yung Lean with very minimal input from Bladee. Yet this is what makes “Still” Yung Lean’s most standout track, as Bladee steps back and lets Lean embrace his ability to sing.
Bladee also does an amazing job singing. He fully embraces the new, pop-leaning persona he’s developed with his newer music, which moves more towards pop and alternative pop rather than cloud rap.
On the track “Ghost,” Bladee sings over an alternative rock-esque beat while carrying the song, singing his heart out on his verse and the hook. Bladee’s vocals are matched by an electric guitar backing up and starting every verse that Bladee sings throughout the track.
Another standout track on the album is “Sold Out.” It is sort of structured like a duet, with Bladee and Yung Lean going back and forth between hooks, bridges, and verses.
Every time Bladee and Lean begin to back each other up and take over the track, it gets better: Every time they add something, the track improves. Bladee and Lean also sing and rap through this entire track with it having a darkwave sounding beat, which comes out of the blue for the duo.
