Self proclaimed boy band, Brockhampton debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts Friday, Sept. 21st. The 13 member group has officially been releasing music since 2015, but their launch to stardom hadn’t officially happened until the release of the Saturation trilogy. These albums seamlessly blended hardcore Hip-Hop, Pop, and R&B elements. Iridescence is an introduction into the Best of Our Lives trilogy, and as the album name suggests there is a vivid representation of the group’s overall adjustment to their newfound fame. However, the album’s effectiveness at relaying these thoughts came with mixed results.

Iridescence’s production is much cleaner and allows for far more variance in sound. The technical development creates harder drums, stronger production, and some irresistible strings. Brockhampton’s vocals even sound more developed, which creates a more emotionally driven sound.

Improved music production had also allowed the group to deliver some powerful, heart-rending performances. Some of the more poignant songs include “District”, “Tape”, and “Weight”. The latter of which delivers an extremely introspective verse from Kevin Abstract, who revealed his inner turmoils with newfound fame and past struggles with his sexuality, apparent in verses like “They split my world into pieces, I ain’t heard from my nieces / I’ve been feeling defeated, like I’m the worst in the boyband.”

Overall these songs display the boy band’s expansion beyond the experimental, pop influences of Saturation III, but the album is lacking in the overall consistencies seen in past projects. This may unfournationally be a byproduct of the ousting of former group leader Ameer Vann following multiple abuse allegations. The absence of the founding  member may have even affected the entire group dynamic, which has seemingly shifted with Joba and Merlin delivering stronger, coarser performances while Matt Champion has an usually smaller presence.

Iridescence still carries Brockhampton’s continuous experimentation with sound and genre. This is evident from Abstract’s hushed, affecting “Something About Him”, to Merlyn’s raucous “Where the Cash At”, and even the engine production of “Berlin”.

Brockhampton attempts more than ever before to create a professional project, which forms some breathtaking surprises. Even though group coherency faltered there were still some gleaming verses that dived into the group member’s personal experiences. Much like its namesake, Iridescence shines when viewed from different angles.