Something For The Weekend; Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ finally drops, but was it worth the wait?

While he should be celebrated for raising the stakes in terms of endorsement deals, be it his in-game performance for the ever-popular “Fortnite” video game and creating a Mcdonald's meal bearing his name, instead to casual audiences he’s more known for the on-again/off-again relationship with Kylie Jenner and his conduct at 2021 Astroworld show in Houston, Texas. There’s been more of a tendency to focus on those aspects that his musicianship. 

But with the hype surrounding “Utopia,” a full package deal that includes a film featuring directing efforts from Harmony Korine and Gasper Noe (both known for their transgressive works, such as “Kids” and “Into The Void) and what was going to be a release show at the pyramids of Giza, until it was axed due to "production" reasons (did seem a little bit of an idea above his station, but he's pulled off stranger stunts) - will people look away from those controversies and recognize him as a generational talent with “Utopia”?

Hopefully so; because after a few listens this morning, I’ve not been inclined to hit the skip button. We’ve already been spoiled with “K-Pop”  (much to the chagrin of netizens) which included Drake, Bad Bunny and The Weeknd, to good if not “amazing” reviews for a lead single off an album. But you can’t help but feel some form of catharsis Scott is delivering through the album. It helps that Scott has also looked to the past and to the future in terms of collaborators too. 

Beyonce shares vocal duties with Scott on the laconic, effortlessly cool “Delresto (Echoes), the latest single to help promote the album, while Future and SZA work on “Telekinesis” which could have been a mess of different flows is instead one of the more darkly euphoric standouts from the album.

Admittedly, it is a little long as it runs in at just over an hour, but the pacing of the album - much like a good movie - doesn’t make it feel like an overblown, overindulgent piece. One moment, you’re taken on such highs with “Circus Maximus” and immediately afterwards there is a sense of gravity with “Parasail” which is a moody, brooding piece to break up the party.

The production, overseen by no less than 28 separate producers including James Blake, Metro Boomin and Ye, could have been erratic and all over the place. Instead, it feels like everyone has been instructed what the overall temperament of the album is and instead of a mish-mash of styles, there are some stylistic clashes but the overarching sound of the album never deviates away that you suddenly need to double take if Spotify (or some other streaming service) has decided to shuffle artists or play a radio station instead.

Is “Utopia” going to be a PR exercise to rehab Travis Scott’s standing with those unfamiliar with him as a musician? Perhaps not. Is “Utopia” an album that might change some minds though? Possibly - it is a solid release, if not a slightly darker work compared to “Astroworld” and some earlier pieces.

But ultimately, yes - “Utopia” was worth the wait, as I take a listen to it for a third time in the space of three and a half hours. Scott’s conduct outside of music hopefully elevates him once again as an incredibly talented musician (dare I say it, a very talented businessman also), and the focus once again on his music rather than his prior cause célèbre.