Kevin Abstract is a 20 year old musician from Corpus Christi, Texas but is currently based out of Los Angeles, California with his collective Brockhampton. In 2014 he released an album titled MTV1987. An album that feels like it was inspired by tumblr and the odd future era. But a lot has changed and grown in his music since then. His most recent release is American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story. This album is a very relatable album to the average teenager even though not everyone goes through what he has. Kevin’s personal struggles with his sexuality is the most prevalent problem presented throughout all the lyrics on this album. “Can’t tell my mother I’m gay, the hardest part about my day is wishing I was f*****g straight.” Kevin romanticises and captures the feeling of high school in this album, although he can be quoted saying he hated high school himself. American Boyfriend is the relatable underdog that most of us normal high school students can identify with, struggling with self esteem issues and sometimes feeling alone.

Aside from the lyrics, the album musically is is bright and luscious, filled with gorgeous guitars and harmonies. The live instrumentation paired with the catchy hooks, for example the breakout single “Empty”, make for a very cinematic and pleasing listening experience. You get tracks that feel Kanye West, Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean inspired but also songs that feel inspired by The Smashing Pumpkins and early Radiohead without feeling out of place. One thing some people don’t particularly like about the album is some of the short 30+ second tracks that are unfinished / unreleased ideas or interludes. To the casual listener I could see why they wouldn’t like this, they might not be interested in seeing the growth of Kevin as an artist. If you follow Kevin on soundcloud then you would know he released a full version of the 30 second song “Kin” so hopefully he plans on doing this with the other short songs from this record,and a full version of “June 29th” would be much appreciated.

Kevin Abstract is an artist who believes in his ideas and isn’t afraid to be himself. That’s what’s gotten him to this stage in his career in just the span of a few short years. I would highly recommend this album, and be on the lookout for him in the future.