Indie hip hop messiah Open Mike Eagle may have perfected his esoteric, self-dissecting style of nerd-rhyme on this new album. Eagle is for people who keep meticulous agendas and wish rap had more lines like, “I don’t wear a monocle, I don’t know which sequels are truly canonical.” Beneath the wordiness are plenty of clever, quaint meditations on the self that are a joy to hear. The beats are quirky, electric bounces that, while ear-catching, often come off as thin. They generally lack a certain punch that would be exciting to hear Eagle take hold of. This is Open Mike Eagle at his most potent, over production that is less so.
7/10
Trial Track: “Southside Eagle”
