In June of 2019, I had no idea that attending a Billie Eilish concert would lead me to one of my current favorite artists, Denzel Curry.

That day, I found out that he would be opening for Eilish, but did not think much of it—I was not a listener of rap at this point, so naturally, Curry had no significance to me. However, once the stage lit up and Curry started belting a few songs from his fourth studio album, ZUU, I awakened to an entirely new side of my music taste, all thanks to him.

Fast forward to January of this year; I was sitting in my second-hour Digital Illustration class, routinely cracking open my AirPods to accompany my drawing with a soundtrack. I tapped the green and black Spotify icon on my phone, which subsequently showcased a new single release from Denzel Curry—at this moment, I knew that another album was on the way, and hopefully, it would be in the near future.

My wishful thinking turned into reality this past Friday—Curry’s fifth studio album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, was finally upon me. At exactly midnight, I rushed over to Curry’s Spotify profile and was elated at the sight of his new musical installment.

Below the album cover featuring Curry’s face blurred into hues of aqua, indigo, and violet, I liquified into the first song of the album, “Melt Session #1,” featuring one of my favorite producers, Robert Glasper. A beguiling voice undulates from the very first seconds of the song, threading in mellow notes, slowly growing to a near crescendo. Then, entirely contrasting the serenity of the first thirty seconds, Curry creeps in with his distinctly robust voice, saturating “Melt Session #1” in the vigor of his cadence. As the bars fill every blank space, the background music diversifies with soft piano and continuous hymning, carving out a perfect space for the next song of the album.

The second track, “Walkin,” was the aforementioned single release that was the first trace of Melt My Eyez See Your Future. I have played this song religiously for the past three months as it has quickly become one of my favorites of all time—that is not an exaggeration. “Walkin” starts with a similar voice as “Melt Session #1,” but this time singing with a more distinct rhythm. Afterward, metal clinks from boot buckles move to Curry’s footsteps into the first verse of the song. Starting off with a calmer rap, Curry gracefully and strategically covers his lyrics. 

The last word of the first verse trails off into a quicker beat, giving way to the second part of the song. As it commences, Curry breaks into an impressive contrast of pace, dropping the heat of the chorus. With the number of times I’ve heard this song, the lyrics are quite familiar to me—after many failed attempts, I can now partially rap along with Curry to the chorus of “Walkin,” though my lungs do not have near enough strength to match his seamless ability to do so. Overall, this song’s cohesiveness and calculation is beyond my comprehension.

“Mental,” featuring Saul Williams and Bridget Perez, is introduced a couple of songs later. The same soft singing that is a habitual element of this album is heavily incorporated into this track. Curry lights up the lyrics for a short stretch of the song, but it then restores the relaxed atmosphere it began in. The instrumentals and the repetitive lyric “It’s all in your mental,” are the focal point of the song, sharing almost no resemblance to Curry’s usual style—it’s very refreshing and showcases his endless versatility.

Right after “Mental’s” therapeutic breakthrough, “Troubles,” featuring T-Pain, skips into the tracklist. “Troubles” was released as a single the week before Melt My Eyez See Your Future came out, so I was already acquainted with this song; This track is light and upbeat and simultaneously incorporates Curry’s usual hard edge. The beats trickle into the exact middle of the album, furthering the dimensions of Curry’s meticulous musical composition.

“The Smell Of Death” splinters with a raspy voice starting out the track, immediately transitioning to Curry’s voice flowing through the rhythms of synth-like sirens. The sound level of both his voice and the background instrumentals almost match, cultivating one of the most enticing tracks of the album. After the song is seemingly done, it alternatively wraps up with an ominous croak of cellos and a quick burst of cartoon-like sound effects, giving it a last-minute zap to correlate with the next track, “Sanjuro,” featuring 454.

The second single from Melt My Eyez See Your Future—released in late February—was “Zatoichi,” featuring slowthai—it now fits into the second to last spot of the album. The track builds with a mystical sound, transforming into spaced-out clicks and soft humming following the pattern. Opposing the initial mysterious elements, Curry and slowthai break out into diluted aggression cushioned by zealous drumming over the verses and chorus. Then, “Zatoichi” deflates back into the same ambiance as it started out as.

The final song of the album is “The Ills.” The classical, jazzy feel of its entrance funnels into another typical Curry verse. For the most part, “The Ills” carries the same weight throughout the entirety of the song, concluding the album with consistency and care. Though it isn’t as attention-grabbing as some of the other tracks, “The Ills” is needed to ground Melt My Eyez See Your Future into the melodic, thought-out impression it gives.

My expectations for Melt My Eyez See Your Future were ultimately exceeded. On the day of its release, a couple of my fellow AP Art students and I offered our glowing opinions about Denzel Curry and went on and on about this album. We even managed to hook it up to the aux cord as we continued to work on our projects—it was quite the fulfilling moment.

I’ve been a fan of Denzel Curry ever since that concert in 2019, and from what I can tell, this album has unlocked a new era of his style and talent. I’ve relished every single one of Curry’s projects due to their varying levels of versatility, individuality, and overall appeal, and Melt My Eyez See Your Future is no exception.