BROCKHAMPTON is really, truly done.
The group has released The Family, which has been billed as their "final album" as a group. If there was any doubt this was in fact the end, that seemed to be addressed last week with the release of the song "The Ending," which alluded to the chaotic collapse of the unlikely collective.
"Expect the unexpected,” ringleader Kevin Abstract said last week in a tweet which has since been deleted. “We broke up earlier this year bc shit just wasn’t working out. That’s why we cancelled our tour. This really isn’t some saturation 3 marketing tactic. This shit is over. Last one next week.”
As for the "unexpected," fans are getting more than initially planned, as a surprise release called TM also arrives today with The Family. The former is described as a collection of songs the group started last year "during a two-week stint in Ojai, California." The songs were never completed during those sessions, but earlier this year, the group's Matt Champion took on the role of executive producer and saw the album to its completion. The full project arrived Friday as a "parting gift" to fans.
Hear both projects below, followed by a note from Abstract.
The year is 2009. I’m at my mom’s crib in Corpus on her big ass desktop computer. Gas station food. Hot ass afternoons. Washing cars for money. As most of us did, I shut down once I hit middle school. I was afraid to be vulnerable with my mom. I remember not feeling good enough for my dad. I remember pretending to be somebody new depending on who I was around. I used to wanna be an actor. My 14-year-old self was in pain. I was lost. Trapped. Broke. And so I dreamt. For reasons similar, but unique, everyone in this group dreamt too.
That post on the forum was an olive branch. Everyone took a risk. We found each other and planted our own trees. I had a vision when I posted, but the way it would end up not only changing my life but having an impact on the culture we grew up on? Thank you. I think about all of the good that came from my pain. That pain, those dreams - that was the coal in the furnace of my creativity - and still, as we got big and cool shit started happening, those embers never left. The pain has found a way to adapt for the new life. Maybe that shit’s just the human condition or whatever. This project is the culmination of all that. And all that smoke from that furnace was making us all cough, for all our sakes it was time to air it out, to move into the future. Fresh air.
I understand that some of the fans are upset that no one is on the album but me. Over the past few years, the members of the band began to move our separate ways, and focus on our individual careers and passions. With this project, a few of us were inspired to make something new that would bring closure to the past, and set the table for all of us to finally be able to explore our individual futures. I hope you understand and enjoy the music.
I feel like whoever is reading this - whoever has been with BROCKHAMPTON since the beginning deserves some sort of closure. The album is an attempt at that. Thanks for giving us a chance. For holding me up. Holding me down. For being everything I needed when I was just some nigga from Texas. I still am. Yeah, this show is over, but the furnace is still glowing.
What a blessing this has been.
with all the love, ian
