ERYS

On the sequel to his official LP debut SYRE, the now-one-named Jaden takes a similar approach to his genre-blurring style, whirling a creative blend of styles around a hip-hop nucleus on the hardened ERYS. On this album's extended journey, the young rapper dabbles with cloud rap haziness, dark trap, atmospheric electronic production, and even some raw punk rock, placing himself in a similar universe with Tyler, The Creator, Brockhampton, and Kid Cudi. As songs weave in and out of focus, track boundaries are erased as Jaden abruptly switches styles and tempos, keeping listeners on their feet as ERYS swirls and churns for over an hour of runtime. No matter the method of delivery, the spirit of ERYS sticks with two primary modes: tortured and emotive or defiant and confrontational. Mirroring SYRE's four-part "BLUE" opener, ERYS kicks off with the "PINK" suite. Joined by sister Willow (who returns for the gorgeous "Summertime in Paris") and producer Lido, this prologue alone is worthy of its own EP, a mind-churning abstract that distills SYRE's overall ethos in under 14 minutes. From there, Jaden is joined by Tyler, The Creator on the menacing highlight "NOIZE"; Trinidad James on the Travis Scott-esque "Mission"; and A$AP Rocky on the serviceable "Chateau." Jaden even managed to recruit his idol, Kid Cudi, for the pulsing standout "On My Own." While ERYS occasionally drags over its seventeen17 tracks, it's an immersive experience that finds Jaden at his most vulnerable, processing his messy young adult feelings into a relatable and sonically exciting way. ~ Neil Z. Yeung