I understand it can be kind of difficult to keep track of all the different Odd Future members and their affiliated projects. Casual listeners will be familiar with Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweathsirt and Frank Ocean. However, unless you’ve really looked into the collective then chances are you don’t know much about Mellowhype, Left Brain, The Jet Age of Tomorrow or Domogenesis. The thing is, the number of projects keeps growing, most recently with the inclusion of The Internet. This particular group is an electro-soul duo compromised of Syd tha Kyd (who handles vocals) and Matt Martians (who handles production).
At first glance The Internet’s debut record, Purple Naked Ladies, seems very out of place in the Odd Future catalogue. However, further inspection shows that there are a lot of similarities between them and their fellow Odd Future members. The problem is that this record would have been pretty great if it wasn’t for how much it resembles other OFWGKTA records.
The record starts off on a pretty high note, with “Violet Nude Women” which is mostly instrumental. Immediately we get to hear the proficiency that Matt Martians has at producing, which is a constant positive throughout most of the album. We also hear some Syd tha Kyd’s vocals, which aren’t anything out of this world but are still surprisingly solid. The song features a strange sort of psychedelic vibe to it, although this particular feeling doesn’t pop up very often in the record.
Following “Violet Nude Women” is “They Say” which also works well. Once again we see that the production on the record is fantastic. Syd tha Kyd also gives an enjoyable performance that shows her ability to deliver a hook (“Just think if things were perfect/Would it be worth it?/If even at all”).
After “They Say,” the record gets pretty ugly. The lyrics start to get…well, atrocious. One of these tracks is “She Dgaf” which has the misfortune of carrying lyrics like “She shaved all of her hair, of her hair, of her hair/ Cause she don’t give a fuck.” Things get even worse in “Cocaine” which is packed with laughable line like Syd’s “I wanna I wanna/Do you wanna do some cocaine” or Left Brain’s guest verse which has him saying “I’m high on coke/She high on coke/Coast to coast baby float my boat/Got coke to sniff and weed to roast/And no need to boast/Let’s snort.” Depressing stuff.
There are a couple of gems hidden in the record though. The halfway point of the album gives us “Ode to a Dream.” Matt Martians’ production here is top notch, a perfect combination of near psychedelic keys with loud and aggressive snares. The vocals are also quite a surprise here since we get features from Kilo Kish and Coco O. which add some variety. The closing track, “Garden,” is also quite appealing with the song taking on a lounge feel that is highly relaxed and that shows the talent this group possesses.
Unfortunately, the record also has its fair share of misses like “Lincoln.” Matt Martians’ production simply is not up to standard in here and Left Brain and Mike G’s verses are just boring. Tracks like “She Knows” and “Web of Me” are, simply put, uneventful. There’s not much in the later tracks to really keep your attention.
Purple Naked Ladies shows off the potential that the duo of Syd tha Kyd and Matt Martians have. Unfortunately it also shows off the bad side of Odd Future: cringe-worthy lyrics and the inability make highly consistent albums. If the duo finds what they’re good at and stick to it they just might “wow” listeners, but right now, that’s not happening.
