Kid Cudi had hit rock bottom.
Personally, the depression that he had expressed with his signature pain-filled lyricism had finally caught up with him. He had checked into rehab, dealing with “depression and suicidal urges.”
“I am not at peace. I haven’t been since you’ve known me,” he wrote in a Facebook post on October 4th, 2016.
Musically, after launching his career with the stellar duo of Man On The Moon: The End Of Day and Man On The Moon II: The Legend Of Mr. Rager, the quality of his next three albums plummeted. Indicud had redeeming elements, but did not live up to Cudi’s debut or sophomore albums; KiD CuDi presents SATELLITE FLIGHT: The Journey to Mother Moon was forgettable; and Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven, Cudi’s foray into acoustic alt-rock, was a disaster, both commercially and artistically.
But with Passion, Pain, and Demon Slayin’, Cudi appears to be rebounding. Glimpses of hope came with singles “Frequency,” which sounds like it could have been from one of the Man On The Moon albums, and “Surfin’,” a Pharrell Williams collaboration which, with its cheerful drumline and horn samples, came off as Cudi’s take on Williams’ hit “Happy.” Embracing the aesthetic of dark neo-triphop that originally hooked his fans, Passion, Pain, and Demon Slayin’ is the first project since 2010 to represent a worthy development in Cudi’s style, rather than a regression, as well as an intellectually stimulating and enjoyable listen.
The most obvious flaw is the length. Cudi has never been known for brevity. Satellite Flight was his only studio album to clock in at under an hour, and Passion, Pain, and Demon Slayin’ is no exception, stretching over 87 minutes. However, it is hard to be critical of excessive length when you’re just so glad it’s there.
The album is divided into four acts, a format familiar to fans of the MOTM series. The first, entitled Tuned, is the most cohesive, and exemplifies the production of depressive psychedelia. The tracks feature heavy sustained synths and choral samples, while percussion and rapping take a backseat. Cudi’s familiar humming, harmonizing, and mildly abrasive yet ethereal crooning dominate, such as on “Swim In The Light,” which centers around Cudi’s autotuned refrain of “You can try and numb the pain but it will never go away,” or the following number, “Releaser,” which samples a wordless Gregorian chant with Cudi whisper-singing over the top.
The section is followed by act two, Prophecy, a collection of tracks that are classically Cudi. Prophecy opens with “ILLusions,” in which Cudi paints a picture of his psychological struggles and resulting struggles with drugs. The song doesn’t stray from his established style musically, but after the long, strange trip of the first act, conventionality is welcome, if only to momentarily ground the listener. The crown jewel of the section is “Baptized In Fire,” featuring Travis Scott. This exploration of both fame’s perks but also exacerbating effects on existing demons is both characteristic of the album and instantly catchy, a true pleasure to listen to.
The third act is aesthetically disparate, held together by the theme of love in different forms, and appropriately titled Niveaux de l’Amour. The act alternates between darker tracks like “Wounds,” which explores the difficulties of self-love, and more optimistic ones like “Kitchen,” an anthem to commitment despite difficulty, with incredible production featuring strings, and a strong bassline and snare pattern.
The closing act, It’s Bright and Heaven Is Warm, is the least unified, consisting of songs that seemingly didn’t fit in another act. Here, the album begins to drag, at times drawing dangerously on the grunge influence that dominated Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven. However, it receives an injection of energy from another André 3000 verse in “The Guide,” and the aforementioned “Surfin’,” the pair of which give the project a strong finish.
At the end of the nearly hour-and-a-half album, the listener is left satisfied. Passion, Pain, and Demon Slayin’ is not perfect: it’s way too long, while including forgettable songs, and scattered, with no story tying together the acts, but Kid Cudi is back in his element, and given what he and his fans have been through, that is something worth being grateful for.
Voice’s Choices: “Baptized in Fire” (feat. Travis Scott), “Releaser”, “Kitchen”
