The ‘one-hit-wonder’ feels like a token title bestowed to those who are either past their prime or set to inevitably be forgotten. Come the dominance of the streaming age and it feels like the potential for these flashy, enigmatic performers to abruptly take the world by storm has multiplied exponentially. One artist who feels as if they have spent the last year playing second fiddle to the overshadowing demands of their own pre-success is New York youngster Lil Tecca. Becoming somewhat of an overnight phenomenon with his breakout single ‘Ransom’, my perceptions of Tecca’s career following has felt like a constant struggle to reimagine and emulate the same success. Boasting a sheer desire to dominate the market via a persistent onslaught of releases, Tecca’s last full-length body of work ‘We Love You Tecca’ felt like a shameless attempt to capitalise on the world’s initial infatuation with his formula, as he would exhaust it. A similar trend would follow through a myriad of sporadic single drops between major releases, as it felt like the hometown hero figure I once rooted for, had played himself into a one-dimensional corner by selling himself out.
Whilst I had hoped this was subject to change during his dormant period, Tecca’s latest release, ‘Virgo World’ feels like the identical twin to ‘We Love You Tecca’, only repackaged. Where Tecca was once a rejuvenating spark of fresh air and promise, has flipped the switch within such a microscopic period of time, as it feels as if he has all but excessively abused his creative outlet. My main gripe ‘Virgo World’ is just how homogenous and interchangeable of a sound it is, a criticism that isn’t strictly tied to the context of the album as a stand-alone work either. Nothing feels fresh, as the album subscribes to virtually all of the most generic and redundant traits within the trap landscape. Where these issues were rife on ‘We Love You Tecca’, I had hoped the sands of time would have prepared Tecca for a stylistic overhaul, but these fears and undisciplined shortcomings are only further certified here as Tecca stays within the realm of his restricted capabilities, beating them like a dead horse.
The opening track ‘Our Time’ feels like the culmination of all the usual shortcomings of Tecca’s craft multiplied tenfold. Defined by its near non-existent instrumental of sparse hi-hats and vapid manipulated inflections, the track is just the beginning of what becomes a truly grueling demonstration of the importance of serviceable production. Tecca simultaneously undermines the importance of lyrical depth on the track with his surface-level approach to such a robust topic. Concerned with the betrayal and mistreatment he has experienced through abusive platonic relationships, Tecca minimises the potential for an intimate experience through his tedious and repetitive tendencies.
As previously mentioned ‘Virgo World’ feels near-identical to its predecessor at times, bearing its identity warts and all. A recurring blemish here is the unfortunate return of the sub-two-minute curse. At this point, it feels like a prerequisite to expect more than a few substanceless filler tracks heading into a Lil Tecca project, yet his preference towards these minute runtimes feels as if he himself exposes the short shelf life of his gimmick. The first of many cases, ‘Actin Up’, feels like it ends before it even really starts, yet that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Considering just how overblown and convoluted of a mix it is, I’ve come to appreciate its abruptness as it grants me a sense of result and freedom from just how grating it all is. Another short-lived cut that disregards the notion of expansive structure is the cross-genre fusion ‘Selection’. With its flavourless, overproduced synths, Tecca is near unrecognisable buried beneath the intrusive production of DJ Scheme and Skrillex. Like a passing whim without a strong sense of identity, the bizarre bastard child that fails to exhibit a strong sense of influence from either artist feels primed to go in one ear and straight out the other.
Perhaps the most distinct addition that separates ‘Virgo World’ from other bodies of work within the Tecca discography is the addition of collaborators. Whether or not this can be considered a flat out improvement remains largely debatable given just how inconsistent his contemporaries prove to be. The most inexcusable of the cases present on the album is ‘Dolly’. Tecca, in tandem with Lil Uzi Vert, delivers what might be the pair’s most robotic and unenthusiastic performances to date. It is honestly astonishing just how much of a let down the duo’s meeting turns out to be. On paper, an exhilarating listen in which the two are bouncing off of the walls, yet in practice, a truly loathsome experience in which the pair adopt a sloth-like demeanor with the intent to put me in a state of comatose.
The inclusion of high-profile contemporaries continues to spoil the listen as elements of their own act dilute some of the starved glimpses of improvement we witness throughout the project. Occurring most notably on ‘Foreign’, where the likes of NAV derail an otherwise grandiose undertaking. With its luxurious, weeping strings and darting movements, what is solidified as a spacious and adventurous foundation within the production is ignorantly contested by its performers. Whilst I didn’t hold much hope out for it heading into the track to begin with, NAV unsurprisingly cradles my worst fears, making them a reality. It feels as if he is oblivious to what works within the instrumental and finds anything within his sub-human repertoire to dissect the positive merits. ‘True To The Game’ is similarly defined by its serene string movement and sorrow-stricken keys, yet challenged by overly gritty vocal performances full of teeth from Tecca and Guwop Reign. Though I find it to be an incohesive mess, if applied in two separate settings I could see what Tecca was going for working.
As Tecca so rigorously demands he stick to an oversaturated formula, it feels somewhat inevitable that his process of trial and error will eventually form a handful of highlights. In the instances in which all the right ingredients align, Tecca crafts some of his most compelling music to date. We have the braggadocious lead single ‘Royal Rumble’ that sees Tecca capture his rag-tag battle to the top of the industry and his now imposed tyrannical grip that those that oppose him should fear. Production-wise it captures a real filthy atmosphere with its boisterous ad-libs and woozy, hypnotic synths. This, paired with Tecca’s intoxicating inflections and laid back swagger makes the track stand out as the most lethal within the Tecca discography. Yet another highlight is the lyrically intricate ‘Miss Me’. There’s a real boyish innocence to the colourful, dreamy synths that act as the spine to Tecca’s verbalised struggles of communication. Whilst nothing groundbreaking, it feels like one of the few intimate and sincere moments of personal input on the album.
It wouldn’t feel right not acknowledging yet another rare moment of vocal prowess when such are so few and far between, on the track ‘When You Down’. Whilst chemistry with his collaborators feels so scarce and out of reach for Tecca on the project, the track marks an unusual point of unified success as Tecca is joined by Polo G and Lil Durk for his melodramatic anthem. The track is concerned with the bittersweet reminiscing of days before fame and a life of luxury, sparing a thought to an unnamed shallow companion that seeks approval now the three have reached such acclaim. Sombre and earnest in nature, the three sound humbled by their experiences, as they bless the tracklisting with its most vivid case of storytelling.
Following a trend that defined and served as the root of a myriad of problems on his previous output, ‘Virgo World’ suffers from a hideously bloated tracklist. Towards the back end of the record, Tecca demonstrates his willingness to flaunt cheap and lazy shortcuts but shamelessly recycling ideas. Each and every track feels like a painfully hollow regurgitative shell of the sounds that manifested the front end of the record, only now, redundant. I am constantly left scratching my head at the inclusion of tracks like the sparse and clunky ‘Closest to Heaven’, or the paper-thin and nauseatingly tedious ‘Level Up’. What exactly is it that Tecca thinks flavourless cuts like these add to the listening experience? Listen after listen reveals nothing of note or value as the non-descript tagalongs feel like nothing more than fodder and numeric gain. Let’s not kid ourselves here, at this point both Tecca and listeners alike must be aware that he doesn’t have the substance to adequately accommodate a tracklist of this size, and it is inclusions like this that truly highlight the sacrificing of one’s integrity.
The album ends in much the same way it runs, in a particularly unremarkable fashion. Constantly making me call to question as to what the inclusion of such redundant material is, Tecca’s conclusive cut, ‘Out Of Love’ is near indistinguishable from any number of previously previewed tracks. At the very least Tecca sounds more convincing and emotionally potent here than on previous ventures, but by leaving his best rendition of an oversaturated formula to the dying moments of what is indubitably a grueling listen, Tecca really shoots himself in the foot. By no means is this his worst cut, or the worst version of his material fixated on evaporated love, shrouded by ill-intent, but it’s questionable placement in the tracklist only further provokes the question regarding Tecca’s undisciplined nature.
It is in fact that undisciplined nature that feels like the mastermind behind the downfall of ‘Virgo World’. Some may defend him with the excuse of his youth or unfamiliarity with the idea of career longevity, but I struggle to see this as a viable defence given his flirtatious past with fame and the high-profile, industry experts that clearly endorse him. Giving credit to Lil Tecca where applicable, his newfound willingness to invite his contemporaries to share the spotlight with him really does bring a sense of versatility to an otherwise homogeneous sound. There are also very definitive glimpses into instrumental improvement as Tecca, no matter how minute of a degree, shows signs of experimentation. But outside of the minor adjustments, what exactly does ‘Virgo World’ add to the Lil Tecca discography or skill set? The question I keep coming back to yet never truly find a means of answering as the truth is, we’ve heard it all before.
Virgo World – Lil Tecca – 3/10
About Author
