Saturation II

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Saturation II
Studio album by
Brockhampton
ReleasedAugust 25, 2017
StudioBrockhampton Factory, Van Nuys, California
GenreHip hop
Length48:02
Label
ProducerBrockhampton
Brockhampton chronology
Saturation
(2017) 		Saturation II
(2017) 		Saturation III
(2017)
Singles from Saturation II
  1. "Gummy"
    Released: August 2, 2017
  2. "Swamp"
    Released: August 8, 2017
  3. "Junky"
    Released: August 15, 2017
  4. "Sweet"
    Released: August 22, 2017

Saturation II (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by American hip hop boy band Brockhampton, released on August 25, 2017.[1] Production is primarily handled by Romil Hemnani, alongside production duo Q3 (composed of Jabari Manwa and Kiko Merley), Bearface, Kevin Abstract, and Joba.

Background[edit]

With only a few months since the release of their debut album, Saturation (2017), the group revealed plans to release the sequel to the predecessor.[2][3] The album's official cover art and tracklist was revealed on August 21, 2017.[4]

Singles[edit]

The album was supported by four singles, "Gummy", "Swamp", "Junky" and "Sweet". The lead single, "Gummy" was released on August 2, 2017.[5] The second single, "Swamp" was released on August 8, 2017.[6] The third single, "Junky" was released on August 15, 2017.[7] The fourth and final single, "Sweet", was released August 22, 2017, alongside "Follow", the lead single from the upcoming Saturation III. However, it was later revealed that "Follow" would not be on Saturation III.[8] As the four singles were released, they were accompanied by their own music videos.[9][10][11][12]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
GigSoup[14]
HotNewHipHop85%[15]
PopMatters[16]
Pitchfork7.2/10[17]
Pretty Much AmazingA−[18]
The Young Folks[19]

Saturation II received general acclaim from music critics upon its release, with most favouring it over its predecessor. For Fact, Al Horner called the album "sublime", commenting that "on the adventurous, quietly subversive Saturation II, [Brockhampton] dare to imagine a better hip-hop world to blaze trails in". He however warned of a "suspicion that Brockhampton could do with reviewing their balance of quality versus quantity", criticizing "moments on Saturation II that reduce its pace to a drag like the sluggish 'Chick'".[20]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung wrote that "building upon the promise of its predecessor, II is another genre-blurring collection of thrills that's packed with even more wild energy and potential. The flurry of activity produced by this gang of strong personalities manages to be a cohesive and seamless experience."[13]

In a positive review for Pitchfork, Matthew Strauss praised the group's "sleek and cool performance style" and "aggression and swagger", as well as noting that the group have "ameliorated some of their more glaring flaws that existed on their debut". However, Strauss criticized the group's chemistry, writing that "there are precious few moments where they complement each other or build on distinct themes", summarizing that "there remains a sense that no matter how cool BROCKHAMPTON sound, they prize coolness more than they prize breaking molds and taking risks to become something bigger."[17]

For PopMatters, Christopher Thiessen praised the group for "creat[ing] a new offering that is equally refreshing and enjoyable by pretty much following their original formula to the letter".[16] In a joint review of the trilogy's first two installments for Pretty Much Amazing, Mick Jacobs wrote that "Brockhampton understands how to get your attention: by addressing all the shit that's taking up yours right this moment", asserting that "where Saturation feels more upfront, II feels more mischievous, a willingness to twist things to their own perception".[18]

Ryan Feyre wrote for The Young Folks that "much like on their previous album, Brockhampton brings versatility on every corner of Saturation II, and … they’ve even one-upped themselves".[19] DJBooth's Henry Solotaroff-Webber highlighted the tracks "Queer", "Junky" and "Summer" as highlights, concluding that "despite the wild, creative energy Saturation II embodies as they charge toward their final destinations, the album is far from slapdash, is mostly cohesive and has certainly yielded some diamonds".[21]

Year-end rankings[edit]

Year-end rankings for Saturation II
Publication List Rank Ref.
BrooklynVegan BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2017
12
[22]
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2017
34
[23]
Highsnobiety The 25 Best Albums of 2017
14
[24]
New York Daily News The 25 Albums of 2017
25
[25]
Pigeons & Planes Best Albums of 2017
15
[26]
Pretty Much Amazing The Best Albums of 2017
17
[27]
The Skinny The Skinny's Top 50 Albums of 2017
40
[28]
State State's Albums of 2017
5
[29]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2017
11
[30]
Vinyl Me, Please The Best Albums of 2017
25
[31]

Track listing[edit]

Saturation II track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Gummy"
  • Romil Hemnani
  • Q3 (Jabari Manwa
  • Kiko Merley)[a]
  • Joba[a]
4:20
2."Queer"
  • Champion
  • Wood
  • I. Simpson
  • D. Simpson
  • Vann
  • Hemnani
  • Manwa[a]
3:47
3."Jello"
  • I. Simpson
  • Champion
  • Vann
  • D. Simpson
  • Boring
  • Hemnani
  • Bearface
4:00
4."Teeth"VannHemnani1:20
5."Swamp"
  • I. Simpson
  • Champion
  • Vann
  • Wood
  • D. Simpson
  • Boring
Manwa4:11
6."Scene 1"
  • I. Simpson
  • Robert Ontenient
Hemnani0:39
7."Tokyo"
  • Boring
  • I. Simpson
  • Vann
  • D. Simpson
  • Hemnani
  • Manwa
3:12
8."Jesus"
  • I. Simpson
  • Ciarán McDonald
Hemnani1:20
9."Chick"
  • Champion
  • Vann
  • D. Simpson
  • I. Simpson
Hemnani3:24
10."Junky"
  • I. Simpson
  • Vann
  • Wood
  • Boring
  • Champion
  • D. Simpson
4:08
11."Scene 2"
  • I. Simpson
  • Ontenient
Hemnani0:29
12."Fight"
  • Vann
  • D. Simpson
  • I. Simpson
  • Wood
3:01
13."Sweet"
  • Champion
  • I. Simpson
  • D. Simpson
  • Wood
  • Vann
  • Boring
4:34
14."Gamba"
  • D. Simpson
  • I. Simpson
  • McDonald
  • Hemnani
  • Manwa
  • Kevin Abstract[a]
3:22
15."Sunny"
  • Wood
  • I. Simpson
  • Vann
  • Boring
  • McDonald
  • Bearface
  • Hemnani[a]
2:50
16."Summer"McDonaldBearface3:24
Total length:48:02

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional drum programmer
  • All tracks stylised in all caps. For example, "Gummy" is stylised as "GUMMY"

Personnel[edit]

Brockhampton

  • Kevin Abstract – performance (tracks 1–3, 5, 7–10, 12–15), additional production (tracks 12, 14), executive production, creative direction
  • Ameer Vann – performance (tracks 1–5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15)
  • Dom McLennon – performance (tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12–14)
  • Matt Champion – performance (tracks 1–3, 5, 9, 10, 13)
  • Merlyn Wood – performance (tracks 1, 2, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15)
  • Russell "Joba" Boring – performance (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15), additional production (tracks 1, 10), co-executive production, mixing, mastering
  • Bearface – performance (tracks 8, 14–16), production (tracks 3, 15, 16)
  • Romil Hemnani – production (tracks 1–4, 6–12, 14), additional drum programming (track 13), co-executive production, recording engineering
  • Q3 – additional production (track 1, 10)
    • Jabari Manwa – production (tracks 5, 7, 14), additional production (track 2), additional drum programming (track 13)
    • Kiko Merley – production (track 13)
  • Henock Sileshi – creative direction, graphic design
  • Ashlan Grey – photography
  • Robert Ontenient – webmastering, performance (tracks 6, 11)

Additional personnel

  • Ryan Beatty – additional vocals (track 2)
  • Dijon Duenas – additional vocals (track 16)
  • Nick Lenzini – creative assistance
  • Kevin Doan – creative assistance

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Saturation II
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 108
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[33] 50
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[34] 156
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[35] 35
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[36] 44
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[37] 17
US Billboard 200[38] 57
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[39] 12
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[40] 34

References[edit]

  1. ^ Goddard, Kevin (August 15, 2017). "BROCKHAMPTON Shares Release Date For "Saturation 2" Album". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  2. ^ Liam (July 6, 2017). "BROCKHAMPTON announces "Saturation 2" is coming next month". Elevator Mag. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  3. ^ Skelton, Eric (August 1, 2017). "Brockhampton Preview 'Saturation II' With Video for New Song "GUMMY"". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  4. ^ Liam (August 21, 2017). "Brockhampton shares "Saturation II" track list". Elevator Mag. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  5. ^ "Gummy – Single by BROCKHAMPTON on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  6. ^ "Swamp – Single by BROCKHAMPTON on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  7. ^ "Junky – Single by BROCKHAMPTON on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  8. ^ "Sweet – Single by BROCKHAMPTON on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  9. ^ Renshaw, David (August 2, 2017). "Brockhampton Share New Song "Gummy"". The Fader. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  10. ^ Craighead, Olivia (August 8, 2017). "Brockhampton Share Video For "Swamp"". The Fader. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  11. ^ Craighead, Olivia (August 16, 2017). "Brockhampton Share "Junky"". The Fader. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  12. ^ Price, Joe (August 22, 2017). "Brockhampton Share One Last Preview of 'Saturation II' with New "Sweet" Video". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Saturation II - BROCKHAMPTON | Songs, Reviews, Credits". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  14. ^ "BROCKHAMPTON 'SATURATION II'". gigsoupmusic.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  15. ^ "Brockhampton "Saturation II" Review". Hot new Hip Hop. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  16. ^ a b "Brockhampton: Saturation II". popmatters.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  17. ^ a b "BROCKHAMPTON: SATURATION II Album Review". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  18. ^ a b "Review: Brockhampton, Saturation / Saturation II". prettymuchamazing.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  19. ^ a b "Review: Album Review: Brockhampton – "Saturation II"". theyoungfolks.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  20. ^ "There's no I in Brockhampton on their sublime Saturation II". factmag.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  21. ^ "3 Best Songs From BROCKHAMPTON'S 'Saturation II'". djbooth.net. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  22. ^ BrooklynVegan Staff (December 22, 2017). "BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2017". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  23. ^ Brennan, Colin (December 26, 2017). "Top 50 Albums of 2017". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  24. ^ Boyer, Jake (December 14, 2017). "The 25 Best Albums of 2017". Highsnobiety. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  25. ^ Rowe, Amy (November 30, 2017). "The 25 Albums of 2017 7". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  26. ^ Price, Joe (December 22, 2017). "Best Albums of 2017". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  27. ^ Groundwater, Colin (December 7, 2017). "The Best Albums of 2017". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  28. ^ The Skinny Music Team (November 29, 2017). "The Skinny's Top 50 Albums of 2017". The Skinny. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  29. ^ State Staff (December 19, 2017). "State's Albums of 2017". State. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  30. ^ Stereogum Staff (December 5, 2017). "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Stereogum. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  31. ^ Penn II, Michael (December 20, 2017). "The Best Albums of 2017". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Brockhampton – Saturation II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  33. ^ "Brockhampton Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  34. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Brockhampton – Saturation II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  35. ^ "Charts.nz – Brockhampton – Saturation II". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  36. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  37. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  38. ^ "Brockhampton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  39. ^ "Brockhampton Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  40. ^ "Brockhampton Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
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