Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 9, 2021 | |||
Recorded | 2018–2021 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
Length | 46:38 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Brockhampton chronology | ||||
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Singles from Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine | ||||
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Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine (often abbreviated to Roadrunner and stylized in all caps) is the sixth studio album by American hip hop boy band Brockhampton. [1] The album was released on April 9, 2021 through RCA and Question Everything, [2] and received generally positive reviews from music critics. [3] The album contains guest appearances from Danny Brown, JPEGMafia, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, SoGone SoFlexy, Charlie Wilson, Baird, and SSGKobe.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brockhampton released songs on their YouTube channel every weekend, and would sometimes livestream on Twitch and Instagram. During these streams, known as Technical Difficulties Radio, Brockhampton would play unreleased music, with some songs releasing shortly after the end of some streams. [4] The series was abruptly cancelled, and in September 2020, Brockhampton producer Romil Hemnani revealed in an interview that the album's initials were RR, leaving fans to believe that the album was titled Roadrunner. [5] The title was later confirmed, and the album's full title, Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine, was announced shortly after the release of the lead single "Buzzcut". Brockhampton recorded three different versions of Roadrunner and chose one for the final cut of the album. [6] Kevin Abstract revealed on Twitter that Roadrunner was the first of "[two] Brockhampton albums [to be released] in 2021", later clarifying that the upcoming albums will be Brockhampton's final releases. [7] The second album was later delayed to 2022, though on January 14, 2022, Brockhampton announced an indefinite hiatus following their Coachella performance in April 2022. [8] That album, The Family , was announced October 27, 2022, set for a November 17 release.
After the album was released, Abstract announced via TikTok that a deluxe edition of the album was to be released soon. [9] The Plus Pack edition of the album was released on June 4, 2021, including four new songs. [10]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.0/10 [11] |
Metacritic | 79/100 [3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [12] |
Clash | 8/10 [13] |
Consequence of Sound | B [14] |
DIY | [15] |
The Independent | [16] |
The Line of Best Fit | [17] |
NME | [18] |
Paste | 8.4/10 [19] |
Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [20] |
Rolling Stone | [21] |
Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine was met with generally favorable reviews upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the release received an average score of 79, based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [3] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 7.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [11]
Amongst the positive reviews from critics, AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung said that the album served as a "masterful group therapy session, picking up the broken pieces of life and uplifting with cautious optimism." [22]
In June 2021, Billboard ranked the album among the best 15 albums released by LGBTQ artists in 2021 so far. [23]
Prior to the album's release, one member of Brockhampton, Joba, commented that the lyrics of Roadrunner contains themes that are very personal to the members, including the suicide of Joba's father. [24] Kevin Abstract noted that there would be lyrics about his sexuality on the record. [24]
Credits adapted from official website. [25]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Buzzcut" (featuring Danny Brown) |
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| 3:21 |
2. | "Chain On" (featuring JPEGMafia) |
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| 3:21 |
3. | "Count On Me" |
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| 2:35 |
4. | "Bankroll" (featuring A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg) |
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| 3:22 |
5. | "The Light" |
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| 3:42 |
6. | "Windows" (featuring SoGone SoFlexy) |
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| 6:11 |
7. | "I'll Take You On" (featuring Charlie Wilson) |
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| 4:14 |
8. | "Old News" (featuring Baird) |
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| 3:13 |
9. | "What's the Occasion?" |
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| 3:45 |
10. | "When I Ball" |
| 3:23 | |
11. | "Don’t Shoot Up the Party" |
| 3:07 | |
12. | "Dear Lord" |
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| 2:02 |
13. | "The Light Pt. II" |
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| 4:18 |
Total length: | 46:38 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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14. | "Roberto's Interlude" |
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| 0:53 |
15. | "Jeremiah" |
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| 2:59 |
16. | "Sex" |
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| 3:36 |
17. | "Pressure / Bow Wow" (featuring SSGKobe) |
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| 2:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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14. | "Pressure / Bow Wow" (featuring SSGKobe) |
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| 2:44 |
15. | "Sex" |
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| 3:37 |
16. | "Jeremiah (Rmx)" |
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| 3:00 |
17. | "Jeremiah (Original)" |
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| 3:03 |
Credits adapted from Tidal. [26]
Brockhampton
Additional musicians
Technical
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA) [27] | 6 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [28] | 35 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [29] | 17 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [30] | 27 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [31] | 64 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [32] | 31 |
Irish Albums (OCC) [33] | 11 |
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) [34] | 10 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [35] | 5 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [36] | 23 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [37] | 75 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [38] | 58 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [39] | 92 |
UK Albums (OCC) [40] | 24 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [41] | 4 |
US Billboard 200 [42] | 11 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [43] | 6 |
Clifford Ian Simpson, known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for his role as a founding member of Brockhampton. He released his debut album, MTV1987, in 2014 to critical acclaim, and received attention from a number of major music blogs and magazine publications. His second album, American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, was released in November 2016, his third, Arizona Baby, was released in April 2019, and his fourth, Blanket, was released in November 2023. In December 2, 2024, he was caught having sex with Soulja Boy in Public.
MTV1987 is the debut studio album by American recording artist Kevin Abstract, released on July 15, 2014. As of November 2018, it has been removed from most major download and streaming services.
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Brockhampton were an American boy band/rap collective founded in 2014 in San Marcos, Texas. Led by Kevin Abstract and formed partially through the online music discussion forum KanyeToThe, the group's final line-up consisted of vocalists Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, and Dom McLennon, vocalists/producers Joba, Bearface, and Jabari Manwa and producers Romil Hemnani and Kiko Merley, as well as graphic designer Henock "HK" Sileshi, photographer Ashlan Grey, web designer Roberto Ontenient, and manager Jon Nunes.
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Brockhampton was an American hip-hop collective. Formed in 2010, they have released eight studio albums, four compilations, one mixtape, 27 singles, and 38 music videos. Originally formed as AliveSinceForever in 2010 and after releasing a compilation and extended play under the name in 2012 and 2013 respectively, the group rebranded to Brockhampton, proclaiming themselves as "the world's greatest boy band". The collective's lineup underwent significant changes in 2014 alongside this rebrand. After releasing singles throughout 2015, the group's debut mixtape, All-American Trash, was released for free on March 24, 2016.
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