To watch Brent Faiyaz’s two-year rise leading up to WASTELAND is a spectacle that almost feels predestined. The Maryland singer instantly became one of music’s most sought-after artists after dropping his critically-acclaimed EP F**k the World. Brent gave just enough for the world to fall in love with his well-received project packed with sex, money, and outright audacity, and everything shut down before anyone could get a closer glimpse. For someone with as much mystique as he has, things couldn’t have worked out better. If anything, it made his alluring persona even more seducing to his fans and outsiders. Like it’s all according to plan.
Since he began, Brent Faiyaz has made a name for himself by being heard and not seen. His public appearances are rare, and details around everything worth deciphering about him are vague, but still purposely reserved for his own disposal.
The mystery behind his moniker creates an idea of him that makes admirers go head over heels for. But it’s only an idea; beyond the lustful tales, his bottled-up truths are self-conflicting and indecisive. As exhilarating as the ride can be, the road isn’t an easy one for a significant other wanting to tag along. Through his latest sophomore album, Brent explores the psyche of the young, rich playboy as he confronts his inner battles while being in the spotlight. For everyone viewing his life as a movie, he delivers one with this LP and casts himself as his own romantic antihero.
On WASTELAND, Brent reemerges as a self-described “Ghetto Gatsby”, a dangerously chic player that him and Alicia Keys portray on the album’s eighth track. Like the character from the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, the appeal behind Brent is driven from everyone’s fascination into his mystery as an individual. Most don’t know any more about him than the glamour, allure, and stature that catches their eye.
The intro “Villian’s Theme” starts things off with a monologue that dives into his current mind-state, vices, and perceptions from others. As candid as the conversation becomes, it remains clouded due to the intoxicating background noise and voice alterations. Very fitting to the blur of a lifestyle he’s been living as a R&B star as of late. Due to his ever-changing environment, his quest for temporary elations leads him to new rushes, no matter the reprucussions. By the end of the short talk, Jorja Smith proposes the question to summarize his ongoing personal battle.
“What purpose do your vices serve in your life?“
After the picture is set, the second track “Loose Change” colors in the scene in elegant detail. Cello notes immediately begin flashing across the orchestra like paparazzi cameras, exaggerating the drama and suspense on the track. The grand production for this song is a standout early into WASTELAND with the lush live instrumentation on here fitting for a Bond movie score. Brent proceeds to glide through and describe a situation balancing passion and dysfunction disguise as love. Brent makes the highs of being toxic sound like a 24 karat gold rollercoaster.
That’s the same essence carried by the album’s lead single “Dead Man Walking”. The life that he lives is one a dizzy concoction of luxury, lust, and elixirs and his music reflects it. Its movie-like opening makes his whirlwind of drugs, high fashion, and debauchery sound like an experience only one can dream of.
“All Mine” is an ode to the pleasure-filled episodes of intimate climaxes to forget the pain. The synthesizers and massive drums come together and explode to create this sense of ectstacy and euphoria. As unhealthy as it is, the hot flashes the song depicts sound like they’re worth a cigarette break and dive back in. Nothing about this is a love song, but rather a baby-making slow jam in the name of it.
And I know I’ve been the worst, but I’ll love love you better,
If you let me, let’s catch a flight, change the weather,
And I promise forever
Brent Faiyaz singing about the highs while carrying the torch of toxicity can come off more enticing than heartless. But when he sings about the lows about living uncontrolled, he makes them feel chilly and brutal. The album cut “Rolling Stone” brings the isolation to the forefront as he fills the wintry instrumental and details his difficulty of settling down in life. The imagery within the somber production paints a dark and lonely road that Brent drives alone. “Addictions” finds a self-absorbed Brent confessing all of his temptations and wrongdoings unapologetically. On here, he digs deeper into his habit of always searching for new escapes. Most of the time, the negative effects aren’t felt by anyone but those romantically involved with him.
The skits on here really bring out these painful moments that occur due to his destructive cycle. Each one does its job of removing the glitz behind his persona to reveal the man dealing with situations in his songs. Without the voice to croon its way out of coming off narcissistic, the messaging suddenly becomes less digestible and exciting. Suddenly, it’s hard to root for the antihero using substances and women to escape his problems.
The closer “Angel” provides the morning after an intense battle with sunshine as Brent chooses devotion over all. Instead of further tucking away his deepest thoughts, he bares them for his beau to understand who he truly is. His actions may ignore the feelings of things, but it’s because of his abundance of problems that make it hard to consider everyone else’s.
“I look in the mirror and I see the worst in parts of me that I don’t want,
But I’ll never tell you that,
And you look amazing so how can I stand watching you be, and feel small?
Damn, I wish I could change it all”
In summary, Brent Faiyaz’s new album WASTELAND is a triumphant effort that picks up where he last left off. As he continues the misadventures of the affluent ladies’ man from his previous project, he brings his inner demons to the light and brings listeners into his inner conflicts between them both. Brent mixes his sincere lyricism with the ambient, filmic production to create an album that’s fitting to tell a visual story of its own. The storyline throughout the songs isn’t complex, but each track does their job of either making you feel the thrills or lonesome moments that come with the life. Another great thing about this album is that it isn’t a wasted collaboration on here. From DMV rapper Joony’s ultracool verse on “FYTB” to Tre’ Amani’s feature on the douchebag track “Addictions”, each guest performance are strong contributions.
The execution for WASTELAND makes his latest effort one of the most satisfying releases of the year so far. The album displays his signature R&B moods (“Jackie Brown”, “Wasting Time”) and his artistic pop leaps (“Role Model”, “Gravity”). Substance and sound wise, his music’s nocturnal nature can be hard to stay with for a whole album. Still, his music is still strong enough to shy away from songs becoming drowsy.
Brent Faiyaz avoids the sophomore slump by gifting fans with another impressive LP. Whether good or bad, WASTELAND is an opulently honest effort that leaves nothing off the table when discussing the chronicles of the womanizing socialite looking for love.
