On their third album,
Brokencyde deliver a more subdued effort that emphasizes “crunk” over “core” with
Guilty Pleasure, a title that shows an odd sense of self-awareness from a band that seems to accept its status as a popular, but critically panned, piece of the pop landscape. The thing that stands out the most here is the noticeable reduction in the screamed vocals, enigmatically maturing the band from a screamo/rap hybrid into more of a club rap group with occasional behavioral outbursts like “Still the King!!!,” which feels more like the
Brokencyde that we’ve all come to know. Rest assured, though, nothing has changed lyrically.
Brokencyde are just as preoccupied with smoking blunts, popping bottles, and sharing their late-night freaky tales as they’ve ever been, so while the execution has changed, the content is still more or less the same as it has ever been. With songs like the hater-addressing “U Mad Bro?,” it’s clear that the bandmembers aren’t worried about making converts out of any of their naysayers, and instead are fine with making an album that’s for their fans. With
Brokencyde seeming to thrive so much on people hating them, the fact that they’re trying to please someone seems almost commendable.