2hollis is all the talk on the internet’s music communities right now in a similar vein to Swedish music collective Drain Gang. The Chicago artist has been polarizing to say the least, with people either loving him or hating his rapping and singing.
After rebranding from being an artist singing and rapping on trap beats telling stories about being a medieval knight to an electronic dance music (EDM) producer and singer, 2hollis captured the hearts of some and the spite of others, especially with his recent singles potentially pushing boundaries and changing the mainstream sound.
After the excellent and masterful “boy” in 2024 showed comfortability with experimentation and even abrasiveness — especially in the song “teenage soldier” — fans anticipated another album in a similar vein. However, 2hollis returned with April 4’s “star.” Unfortunately, this album has no teeth to it, is unfocused, delves deeper into EDM tropes and entrenches itself with boring mediocrity, save for a few gems here and there.
The album begins with the intro “beginning.” Rain soundscapes, zooming cars and “Minecraft” fireworks sound effects greet the listener as the beat builds up in a crescendo. 2hollis can’t stop telling the audience that “You are now witness to something great.” There’s also a callback to the next song in the vocals.
“flash” is one of the only bearable songs on this album. The way 2hollis sings the lyric “flash” sounds like a lyric from electronic duo The Hellp’s “Caustic.” He reflects on becoming a famous internet celebrity and how he wants to go even further. His vocals are great on this song. The beat building and then dropping is very cathartic. The lyrics, however, seem to be a critique of the lack of privacy that comes with fame. The song ends with 2hollis tiredly saying a slightly cryptic lyric: “A lot of the things I’ve shown you have been illusions.”
“cope” begins with a heavy synth bassline. 2hollis confessed in his lyrics that someone who he is presumably dating is being used as “a cope,” or a way to feel better. The song ends with him saying, “Breathe, calm down. Do you trust me?” The song is a far cry from the greatness of “flash.”
“you” is a passable song about failed interpersonal relationships primarily between 2hollis and an unknown second party. A striking line that shows 2hollis’ tenacity is, “You’re the poison to my flowers but they still bloom.”
“tell me” is easily the most lyrically interesting song on the album. He gets more vulnerable and intimate here than usual. Almost as a humorous non-sequitur later in the song, 2hollis raps “every time I hit it, Amen.” He later gets back to the focus of himself with the lyric “only got a couple real, real friends / I been havin’ real, real sex and I been shakin’ fake, fake hands.”
The lyric “VPN on, black tape on the front cam / Everybody I don’t know tryna know me, these days I don’t even know who I am” is very relevant in an era of mass surveillance and identity confusion. This is only exacerbated by fame. 2hollis also explores perceptions in the lyric “I’m scared of press ’cause then I read more.” It’s very saddening because people’s perceptions of us define who we are. I hope that this review isn’t too scathing to 2hollis; I’m just being honest.
“destroy me” is incredibly repetitive, but it’s also fun and catchy. It’s like junk food without the nutritional drawbacks. It’s not necessarily “good,” but it’s enjoyable, which is more important.
“burn” was passable until that egregious bass drop with the trombone. It feels like we’re back in 2012, and not in the good way that “style” felt like.
“girl” is a boring song about a romantic relationship between 2hollis and a girl failing, but 2hollis can’t move on. The 808 annoys me and there’s not a lot going on sonically.
“dream rain sports” is an inoffensive but boring EDM instrumental. I wonder why 2hollis didn’t rap or sing on this; maybe it was supposed to be an interlude. The hydraulic sounds at the end were cool, though.
“nice” feels like being transported back to 2012 again with “Minecraft” or “Roblox” compilations on YouTube with the bright and plucky synths. The lyrics follow 2hollis trying to be better and nicer than he was in the past, according to him in the lyric “I know all this shit so mean, but I’m really tryna fix it.”
There’s something really beautiful about the lyrics “If I died now, in my next life I’d still know your name / Give me something to hurt on, if you’re cold, put my shirt on / Even if it’s a burden, it’s okay, it won’t last long / I’m coming back home, meet me at the front door” in “nerve.”
2hollis followed up with the lyrics “sitting shotgun at the church,” which got a good laugh out of me though it makes sense that he’s going at facing regret from an angle of repentance.
“ego” is a build-up to “sidekick.” The lyrics sound like my intrusive thoughts regarding myself. The line “I wouldn’t care if you died” is scathing and shocking even though it’s very — almost laughably — simple.
“sidekick” is short-lived but intense like a firework. It should have been expanded on.
The track list takes a radically different turn with the beautiful acoustic “eldest child.” Online discourse about this song is very polarizing, but I’m on the positive side of that spectrum. The metronome ticks were left in. 2hollis’ singing is so soothing and heartfelt, making me wish for more. Should it have come right after a one-minute hype song, though? No.
I respect what 2hollis was going for, but these creative decisions are a far cry from the glory of his singles. It feels a tad uninspired. He could also work on lyricism.
Rating: 2.5/5
Album is shit
This was a scathing review. It may not have the ethereal grit of his earlier works, but it showcases his skills and his desire for pop stardom. I feel like it’s him finally making the first wave. He’s almost to shore, the tsunami following swiftly behind him.