★ ★ ★
Earl Sweatshirt’s Some Rap Songs proved to be one of the most critically-acclaimed releases of 2018, with an average critical score of 86/100, as per Metacritic. Some Rap Songs was dark, scattered, and candid, and subsequent to its release, fans wondered what was next for the 25-year-old. Earl had stayed relatively quiet in the music scene, apart from a brilliantly dark solo production credit on Lucki’s ‘All In’. Nearly a year later and fans finally got new material from Earl.
FEET OF CLAY is no significant change of pace from his last release, and it comes with no real developments. Regardless, there are definitely some high points on this project. ‘EL TORO COMBO MEAL’ and ‘TISK TISK / COOKIES’ show Earl as dextrous as ever, in tune with his last efforts. However, for the most part, this 15-minute project feels like a collection of B-Sides left off last year’s album that were only put out to satiate the desires of diehard fans, particularly seen on EAST and 74.
FEET OF CLAY may feel disappointing at times, but it would be hard for anyone to follow the critical success of a project like Some Rap Songs.
Nicolas Murphy – Music Writer
