Unbothered

Pennsylvania rapper Lil Skies maintained a striking consistency with his early mixtapes and 2019 studio debut Shelby, delivering pop-adjacent trap songs with a laid-back charisma and Auto-Tuned flows. Second studio album Unbothered doesn't diverge much from Lil Skies' well-established formula, but the production feels slightly cleaner and Skies' himself seems like he's transmitting from a place of heightened clarity. Instrumentals across the majority of Unbothered consist of a lean mix of 808 bass thumps, hyperactive trap hi-hat patterns, and dreamy, floating samples, with Lil Skies' vocals high in the mix. Album standout "Havin' My Way" adds dramatic acoustic guitar to the mix, with Lil Skies and Lil Durk exchanging melodic, Auto-Tune heavy verses that speed by between repetitions of a chorus that's somehow mellow, hyped-up, and catchy all at once. Muted synths sound like distant trumpets on the hazy "On Sight," and "Trust Nobody" leans on an eerie piano loop as Skies lays out a narrative about how pain and betrayal followed him from his more difficult days into his life of fame. There's a subtle maturation throughout Unbothered, coming through in the general mood of the album if not in overt lyrical themes or topics. Similar tempos and sonic architecture lead some songs to blend into one another but tracks like "Dead Broke" and "Sky High" stand out for their fever-dream production and "Excite Me" includes a notable cameo from Wiz Khalifa. ~ Fred Thomas