V@PYD - Hypermediocrity

 Released: June 6

Against the backdrop of summer rolling out with all the lush green foliage and heat coming off the pavement, Hypermediocrity provides some absolutely immaculate vibes. At the very start with “Mallrat,” there’s instantly that perfect blend of 80s and early 90’s vibes with the keys, samples, and some really on point 808 drums. It’s giving all the perfect summer sounds with a great rhythmic backdrop. “On Golden Ground” keeps the vibe going but goes in a little bit more 90s dance kind of direction. I definitely eel the Haddaway-esque vibes in the beat with a still very chill 80s pop juxtaposition in the synth choices. 

About halfway through, “babygirl” came on and slowed things down. The summer vibes are definitely still there but I love the twist at this point. It feels a lot like an early 90s R&B track in the style of Keith Sweat or similar but if it were being heard and performed at the very peak of a moderately intense acid trip. And V@PYD does this with a lot of tracks on here, really combing through the rich volume of sounds from this bygone era to bring a ton of variety to this effort. I hear the pop, the R&B, and even bits of that kind of weird reggae revival we had around that time (if you know, you know). And of course, what would a vapor album be without the almost obligatory appearance of a saxophone, which you can hear on the appropriately named “Sax N Stuff.”

The pacing of the album is really great as well. There’s plenty of upbeat tracks to choose from here and the tracks that slow things down a bit are just perfectly placed. Like I really can’t get over how perfectly timed and soulfully weird “babygirl” is. Definitely on of my favorites on here. And everything else is quite well placed down to the final track, “Dreamers.” It’s kind of funny that the album title is what it is considering that it is actually a pretty standout piece.