Yeat - ADL: Album Review

Since his initial rise in 2021, Yeat has been one of the most prominent examples in this generation of an artist whose public perception flipped in the blink of an eye due to undergoing a major transformation in artistic style. It is generally agreed upon that Yeat saw his prime in the years between 2021 and 2023, with the album 2093 serving as the catalyst that polarized his audience. Many people, myself included, were reluctant to watch Yeat attempt to reconfigure his sound entirely, and while most respected the effort to experiment, the results split fans down the middle.

Come today, I can confidently say that the lines between experimentation and a lack of stylistic competence are officially blurred. Yeat’s new album, ADL, marks a new low for albums completely missing the mark of quality in recent memory. From the Broadway-esque “Lose Control” featuring Elton John, to the utterly cringe-worthy attempt at an R&B track in “Naked,” this album screams misdirection and poor execution at every turn. What makes ADL particularly frustrating is not just the genre-hopping, but how little Yeat seems to commit to any of it. “Lose Control” doesn’t work as a genuine theatrical moment because it lacks the self-awareness that makes those kinds of swings land and it comes across as a novelty rather than a bold artistic statement. “Naked,” on the other hand, strips away everything that made Yeat’s vocal delivery interesting in the first place like slurred cadences, ad-libs that fit the mix perfectly, and the sense that he was operating on a completely different frequency than everyone else, and replaces it with a watered-down smoothness that suits neither the genre nor him. 

To be completely frank, it really pains me to write this review, as I would have once considered myself a Yeat fan to the highest degree. But at some point, as a fan, you need to be honest with yourself and ask: “Does this album feel true to this artist’s overall style and capability?” After asking myself that, I came to the realization that Yeat has simply lost his sauce, and in all honesty, it probably won’t be coming back.

I’m not going to be one of those people who sit here and say that Yeat needs to start using substances again because it’s the only way for him to make good music. It genuinely makes me happy that he seems to be trying to better himself. But with that personal change came a shift in his creative instincts that, unfortunately, this album makes feel permanent.

Rating: 2/10