On 2093, Yeat throws this previous formula out the window, and decides to show the world his distinct vision of hip-hop’s future. That vision is centered around techno, with trance and industrial influences. While this vision sounds incredible on paper, Yeat doesn’t quite maximize the potential of this sound.

2093 consists of futuristic synths and many other sounds that are associated with genres far out from what has traditionally been seen considered rap. The pulsating base on tracks like “Breathe” and “Riot & Set it off” could have seamlessly fit in on Mandy, Indiana’s I’ve Seen a Way. “1093” has a beautiful melody that wouldn’t sound foreign on a Nine Inch Nails project. Even though “Bought The Earth” is a decent piece of psychedelic hip-hop, but it sounds like a Travis Scott throwaway. Additionally, the 30-second cinematic intros and outros on various tracks across the album reek of musical pseudo-intellectualism. It just comes across as clichéd.

Despite the many creative peaks on the record, proper curation is once again the Yeat’s Achilles heel. In the streaming era, many artists have put out longer projects to boost sales numbers and algorithm interaction. This has dragged down the quality and potential of many projects like Whole Lotta Red or Certified Lover Boy.

Unfortunately, 2093 is the newest member of an exclusive list of “could’ve been” classics. The length of this 22-track behemoth tends to bring down the special qualities of this album and make it drag along. For some reason, this has been a recurring theme in his discography, and it has been quite frustrating to witness. Perhaps he should have taken notes from Ken Carson’s A Great Chaos. If this album could have been cut down to at least 18 tracks, much more of the project’s full potential could have been realized.  

The length of the project is just one amongst various elements that weighed this project down. An aspect worth noting is Yeat’s lethargic delivery throughout the vast majority of this project. One of the most interesting aspects of his music has been his unorthodox and experimental vocals. On Aftërlyfe, it felt like you could never expect what was coming next. That unpredictability resulted in memorable vocal takes such as those on “Heavyweight” and “Split” that are ingrained in my mind to this day. Those unconventional deliveries were strongly needed and would have made 2093 worth its length.

Even though there are some truly incredible moments on this record, the romanticized idea of what this album could have been is much more enthralling than the project we received. Perhaps younger generations may consider the album as a classic, and a blueprint of what’s to come, while I end up on the wrong side of history. In the meantime, until Yeat is able to grasp the depth of his untapped potential over the length of a full project, I am going to have to settle for only adding a select few of his songs to my playlists. 

Official Maurice Crawford Score: 6.4/10

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“We’re from the Pacific Northwest. That’s why we talk soft,” Heynderickx said before launching into the first song of her set, “The Bug Collector”. A couple of things were immediately apparent, which would apply to the set in full. One–the only rhythm section this song really needs is the pizzicato of the bass, which supplies a bouncing sway to even the most emotionally harrowing of her songs. The same is true of many of Heynderickx’s other songs. Two– Heynderickx is an excellent guitar player, and one of the best I’ve seen live. It may be that I’m extra sensitive to great fingerpicking, but her quick and precise playing was downright dizzying at times.

Both her guitar playing and singing were dynamic performances. She portrayed the pain of “No Face” just as intensely as the confidence of “Oom Sha La La.” This song was an instance of bright, simple guitar strumming in a set of mostly detailed fingerpicked patterns. Between songs, she’d muse on sunsets, a Spirited Away character, and how redwood trees would make better world leaders than humans–you know, Haley Heynderickx things. In a new song called “Tour Song,” she did something I’ve never seen an artist do before, which was tuning all the way through the song and working the whir of the string into the guitar melody in a way that felt surprisingly natural.

Speaking of new songs, the new songs are great! It’s been about four years since Heynderickx officially released new music and hearing these songs made me feel as if I’d been granted access to highly classified information. There’s “The Park” which teased laughter out of the audience with the inflection of her voice alone, “Louis and the Redwoods” re: the earlier redwood comment, “Ben I’m Trying” about living with a partner throughout the pandemic, “Sorry Fahey,” she said, “because it sounds like a John Fahey song,” and a couple of others too. As a longtime fan, these songs seemed noticeably more cheerful than much of her older work–something that made me glad to hear.

The two closed the set with “Untitled God Song,” an occasion for which Heynderickx pulled out a steel slide, and Blackwell pulled out a bass bow–the second time it was used that night. They broke into a climactic jam in the breakdown before the last chorus, which rocked as hard as two acoustic instruments can rock. With these two musicians–it rocked pretty hard. Heynderickx left the audience overjoyed with the set and more than excited to hear these new songs put to record.

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