SBTRKT - SAVE YOURSELF

SBTRKT
SAVE YOURSELF
2016
Spotify

SAVE YOURSELF is a bit of a surprise record coming off of the commercial success that was SBTRT release in 2014 Wonder Where We Land. ON this new release SBTRKT relies heavily on his features The Dream, D.R.A.M. and Sampha to add to his already heavily hip hop/R&B laced style. On this record SBTRKT seems to fall closer to the R&B side of things, pushing the heavy synth electronic music to the side a bit in order to let his features shine. SAVE YOURSELF in many ways feels like a departure for SBTRKT and that may be the reason for the surprise release and the style that you normally would not hear. Even a song like "TBD" which is the most electronic of the group has a lean towards the R&B side of things. This record feels more like a group of songs that fit in the same genre rather than something polished for a listening experience. The songs are also quite short with the longest topping off at just over four minutes, but they still tend to meander a bit. "READY OR NOT" sets up a really nice intro like it is building to something, but then it ends up really going nowhere. The theme of the record is obvious, but the focus is just never there.

The most experimental song on the record is by far "LET THEM IN" which is a conglomeration of damn never everything out there. It has the twitchiness of Dub-Step but then is a total let down in the end. There really is no payoff to this record at all, songs tend to fade away into obscurity rather than hang with you begging for you to listen to more. The songs featuring The Dream are far and away the best elevating both his voice and SBTRKT's production. But they can't help that unsatisfying feeling that almost every track eventually leaves you with. The beginning of ideas are here, but they are never completed never fully flushed out into full musical thoughts. SAVE YOURSELF is also missing that weirdness that comes with the best SBTRKT tracks like "Wildfire". You are wanting something that is just off the beaten path, and it is there but deep under the surface where you probably aren't willing to look. SAVE YOURSELF has quite a few issues and that is probably why SBTRKT released it under the cover of night and went on a long explanation of how it was not an album. Even still, this record or whatever it may be called is pass, not worth the 25 minute run time.

4.9 out of 10