Kid Cudi Keeps Listeners Guessing With Fearless ‘INSANO'(ALBUM REVIEW)

There is no guessing the sonic direction of a new Kid Cudi album. The Cleveland-bred multi-hyphenate has built a sound based on mystique and experimentation, rarely repeating himself musically. In the case of INSANO, Cudi’s latest full-length offering, he reimagines old tropes he established himself on a tracklist colored with explosive instrumentals and innovative flows. Much like the artwork for the album, Cudi’s abstract vocals reinvigorate 808s and hi-hats as Cudi returns to earth for a modern exploration of his well-established sound. For just over an hour, Cudi places braggadocious hip-hop next to alternative indie gems for his best album in years. 

Cudi’s discography is filled with sonic twists and turns, and INSANO follows suit without trying. Cudi hasn’t sounded this confident and free in years, by allowing every idea that crept into his head to at least be attempted, he landed on some stunning textures and refreshing instrumentals. Cudi’s ninth outing features the crooning of his first few releases while harkening back even further to his mixtape days with razor-sharp flows. INSANO is effortlessly fun and enticing while still showing Cudi’s artistic progression. These 21 tracks make up a cosmic journey through the many faces of Cudi’s creativity, an unapologetic victory lap for an innovative voice with very little to prove to anyone except himself. 

Cudi has not rapped this much, or this well, in a long time. His rhyme schemes are fearless, he manipulates the English language to fit his hard-hitting flows. Every word feels like a punch in the face, a much-needed punch to remind us who Cudi is. INSANO kicks off with a string of vicious raps.  The presence of DJ Drama on the album’s opener “OFTEN, I HAVE THESE DREAMZ” is a hint at the style Cudi will be working in. A lo-fi vocal tone welcomes us to the carnival ride of INSANO. The syllables continue to fly by at lightning speed on tracks like the melodic and neck-breaking “KEEP BOUNCIN’” and left-field “CUD LIFE.” Cudi sounds his best when he is free, and he sounds like a zoo animal finally being let out of a cage on this LP. 

Kid Cudi has one of those sounds that is so expansive yet it naturally blends. INSANO’s main focus is rapping although the tracklist is broken up nicely with some MGMT-inspired tunes. Cudi’s famous hums and groaning melodies come into play on tracks like “ELECTROWAVEBABY” and the stand-out “BLUE SKY”. These tracks give us a break from Cudi’s breathless bars while adding a sentimental touch to a hectic LP.  

INSANO is exactly that, insane. Kid Cudi hasn’t released an LP that is this kind of consistently entertaining and wildly imaginative in years. These 21 songs have Cudi looking back at past projects through a new lens, a new lens with a kaleidoscope attachment. Instead of simply seeing his works as things of the past, he accesses their energy and rejuvenates past sonic landscapes in a whole new light.

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