The anticipation for UTOPIA was high, with a release process that more or less reminded of the rough one leading to DONDA not that long ago. And sonically speaking, while sounding more polished and overall like a finished piece, it also sounds as sonically diverse and “uncoherent”, if that could be read as a good thing. But the lack of cohesion don’t necessarily lead to an underwhelming project in this case, and only add to Travis versatility as a trap rapper. Because if ASTROWORLD created in a way the brand that Travis Scott is at this moment, then UTOPIA elevates that brand to a new ground of artistic creativity. Each song sees Travis experimenting some new thing, and Travis sounding remarkably comfortable in each monumental experiment he takes on this record. Travis takes the opportunity to do a bit of everything he thinks fits his style best, even if that isn’t exactly what would do best in the charts. Which is also a lie, because this record is selling like crazy, and Travis proving that people are still starving for something new, different, and not the usual vanilla rap Drake and other mainstream names are doing. Names like Westide Gunn, Teezo Touchdown and Yung Lean are not exactly unknown, but this might be a very deserved boost for their own enterprises, and that’s where UTOPIA feels so similar to the cultural event that DONDA was back in 2021.
