Grouptherapy. Music’s Necessary Trio
In what may be one of the most honest rap albums released this year, I Was Mature For My Age But I Was Still a Child, Grouptherapy. comprised of TJOnline, Jadagrace, and SWIM invites you into a reflective art piece that many others wouldn't have the brass to share let alone distribute to every major DSP.
The music world seems to have moved away from the trend of mysterious artists who were able to achieve success without giving you any notable pieces of themselves. Instead, as the social media age continues to rule Earth, a deeper look into an artist's mind and soul is expected. grouptherapy. sees no reason to shy away from this. Their latest album finds them leaning so far into their self-expression that it plays as one big therapy session where nothing is off limits. 16 tracks of genre-bending beats layered beneath the group's ultra-expressive and self-revealing vocals. On the first listen it may be tough to figure out where the perfect place is to play the album in its entirety but by the second listen you realize you're overthinking it and you need to go with the flow.
Lyrics like the chilling, “These ain’t pearls in my choker these is teeth, my smile is choking me,” on the song Smiles :), or “I’m a manipulator and I know it because I grew up with one, so I know how to handle it.” on “Help Pt 1.” almost catches you off guard because you're entranced by the well-put-together instrumentation found at every twist and turn of the project. Everything isn't doom and gloom here though as songs like “Lightspeed”, “How I’m Feeling” and “Peak” hit euphoric highs that will keep those songs attached to the core of your brain.
The early standout on the album TrunkPoppers.com displays just how well the group meshes. TJOnline’s intense flow, Jadagrace’s smooth vocals floating underneath, and SWIM’s memorable, “Don’t that make you want this pump actionnn!” line planted firmly mid-verse all come together to make one of the most intriguing songs you’ll hear this year. It's clear they’ve found their footing and are now just running up the score on everyone else. It's even more evident in the outro of the album Still Alive. A riveting crescendo to put a bow on the Masterclass grouptherapy. just taught in the previous 15 tracks. The replay value is pretty high on this one and after hearing all of the topics they touch on the project it achieves its goal of making you wonder… ”What will they talk about next?”.