Album Review: Everything Means Nothing by Blackbear

Matthew Tyler Musto, better known as Blackbear, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Blackbear has carved a niche for himself by creating his own brand of heartbreak song that combines pop, dance, R&B and sometimes rap giving us his own spin on the age-old tale. Everything means nothing is no different in the aspect. Blackbear has joined some of his best music to make his best music till date. The alternative leaning pop music on this project sounds refreshing by combining lively drums, snappy synths, a few strings and keys here and there  and high BPM. Some of the songs on this project are already familiar to us because they’ve been released a while ago and have amassed millions of views and streams by now. The rap-pop singer and producer  reaches for realism, narrating his relationships with the pulsing hyperactivity of the always-online. A commentary on the social media generation of sorts, everything means nothing establishes a strong narrative though dwelling on clichés and mainstream pop more often than not.

Here are my favorites from the project:

• hot girl bummer: this is a satirical record commenting on the trend riding instagram generation. Released as a single this song has the catchiest hook and a very danceable beat which can be played in clubs over and over, which is exactly what it parodies. It’s vibrant, catchy and exuberant making its way easily into out party playlists. 

• me & ur ghost: another breakup bop which talks about a lingering feeling that a breakup brings to you. It’s about not being able to move on despite several attempts to it and memories coming back to the memories over and over again. The beat is snappy and makes for a very catchy grove. 

• queen of broken hearts: boppy keys, acoustic guitar and a thumping percussion make up the majority of the instrumental for this sad boy banger. Continuing the narrative of the album this songs about social media being toxic, heart wrenching and more often than not having a negative effect on the users.

• i feel bad: starting the feel trilogy as I call it, this is the first song with the word feel in its title. This cut follows the similar formula that Blackbear has used throughout this project i.e. combining electro pop with his emo lyrics and this works well for his style of singing and occasional rapping. 

• i feel 2 much: this song boasts one of my favorite instrumentals on this project. The most EDM sounding track on this album this consist of a very robotic hook followed by a Synth drop reminiscent of styles that we call Future Bass, a sub genre of dance music. 

• clown: this is a collaboration between pop artists blackbear and Trever Daniel, one of the two collabs in blackbear’s mostly solo album. The song draws a parallel between the emotions that a person hides to the painted-on smiles of a clown. Even on an emotional roller coaster, we may try our best to mask our true feelings for the sake of the burden it may have on others.

• half alive: this song has one of the fattest and meanest basslines you’ll come across on a pop song. Marshmello handles production on this song and he’s a genius in what he does. This song will make it on to a lot of my playlist because it’s unbelievably catchy. 

• if I were u: this song is slower and follows the narrative of trading places and seeing things from a different perspective. Blackbear sees himself as the problem, Lauv speaks from the aftermath of a breakup in which the partner broke his heart, creating an interesting contrast between the perspectives. This is a mellow and slower cut that provides a certain depth to the project. 

This album was released as a two-part EP and to not form any biases I heard the project in one go and I’ll be lying if I say that I didn’t like the project. Despite some of its flaws which mainly lies in the lyrical aspect of this project, it’s still an enjoyable project. The album is well produced by Blackbear and FRND who have worked together for a long time. I was more drawn towards the first half and the second half, though boasting some stellar tracks and great features, falters with the monotony brought to it by the repetitive sound of this project. The Blackbear brand of heartbreak gets another great project and I hope he tries to transcend his artistic boundaries in his next project. I give this a 7/10. Here’s a link to the album