Last week, the world was awarded the long awaited arrival of Travis Scott’s fourth studio album, UTOPIA. This new album from Travis is triumphant, ambitious, wall to wall with features, and a blinding subversion of expectations. Due to such ambitions, the album has had quite a clash of varying reception. Some fans claim it to be his best work yet, while others insist that it’s far from the quality of his previous works, ASTROWORLD being the common standard of comparison. I find UTOPIA to be a breath of fresh air in the world of A-List Hip-Hop. Given its inventive nature and its mixed reception, the album’s title is more than fitting. Such is perfectly captured in the outro of “SIRENS,” performed by Drake and an (as of yet) unknown woman:

Woman: I thought we were going to utopia?

Drake: What makes you say this isn't utopia?

Woman: I mean, I don't know, isn't it supposed to be some perfect destination? This is just your hotel room.

Drake: Yeah, it looks perfect to me.

In this skit, the woman is supposed to represent everyone who has been waiting for this album, all the fans who had high expectations for it. Drake is meant to represent Travis Scott, offering the world his utopia with no care as to whether or not it’s what they wanted, because to him, it’s perfect. Given Scott’s status as an artist, and the undeniable hype behind this album, UTOPIA had a long list of expectations. Similar to that of a utopian world, perfection in UTOPIA is unattainable, and is only perfect through the narrow lens of a facade or to the person at the top. Of course in this case, that is Travis Scott. What this tells us is that Travis made the album he wanted to make. Zero exceptions. What that gives us is a pretty stellar tracklist with the opportunity for an authentic glance into Travis’ world. This album allows him to be vulnerable in ways he may not have felt comfortable doing otherwise. For me, the standout track in this regard is “MY EYES.”

“MY EYES” stood out to me on my initial listen of UTOPIA for various reasons. The primary reason this song made me sit up and give it my full attention was its production, and that production’s place in the tracklist. The second it starts, (following an abrupt end to “MODERN JAM”) it breaks the momentum of the album. It forces us to stand still. It’s almost a cinematic, needle drop moment. What someone might have considered to be a boring cut on the record becomes something they are not only forced to listen to, but can’t help but be interested in what it might offer. The other reason I was immediately immersed in the song was because I recognized not only the voice but all the fingerprints of one of my favorite artists, Justin Vernon, also known as, Bon Iver. I knew he was to be featured on the album and as soon as this cut started, I was hoping this was the one. Lo and behold, it was. Justin Vernon is one of the track’s producers, as well as, Wheezy, WondaGurl, Vegyn, Buddy Ross and Travis Scott himself.

Keeping in line with the rest of the album, this song does have an immaculate beat switch around the halfway mark, creating two compelling halves. The first half is atmospheric and dreamy with a great hook and two interesting verses. Travis gives a great juxtaposition to the heavenly and soulful production with lyrics describing materialism and money. Such is on theme with a song that makes constant references to buying things in order to fill voids, “Bought the crib on a hill, made it harder to reach / Bought a couple more whips 'cause I needed more speed / Bought a couple more watches, I needed more time.” The hook is catchy, simple, and captures the form and content of the song beautifully. Side note: Bon Iver isn’t the only person offering vocal contributions to this song. The second verse sees UK artist Sampha giving a stellar vocal contrast to Travis’s robotic yet hypnotic auto-tune hook. Sampha’s verse, while short, is a welcome one. It’s warm, sweet, and creates an interesting vocal dynamic with Travis. 

Once the first half of the song completes, the next half wastes no time. As it fades out, new instrumentation fades in and before long an entrancing hi-hat pattern kicks into gear. As the drums build, it becomes impossible not to start head-nodding. Once Travis begins his verse, the listener is locked in. For the remainder of the song, Travis carries an airtight flow, spits gut-punch lyrics, and raps like his life depends on it. He makes references to past loves, money, and even discusses trauma and guilt he’s suffered since the tragic events at the ASTROWORLD Festival in 2021, where 300 people were injured and 8 died due to crowd rush. Regarding UTOPIA, this track is the most honest and vulnerable that we see Travis. This final verse is full of lines that cut deep and honestly, hurt to hear, “Look, tell me the signs whenever the smoke clear out of my face /Am I picture-perfect or do I look fried? / All of that green and yellow, that drip from your eyes is tellin' / Tell you demise, I went to my side / To push back the ceiling' and push back the feelings, I had to decide.” The fantastic verse concludes on the line, “If I gave you a day in my life or a day in my eyes, don't blink.” It’s an interesting final image that essentially reminds anyone who tries to get close to him, that his life moves so fast that it’s near impossible to keep up. It’s a lonely sentiment to end off on, but an extremely effective one at that. 

UTOPIA is a pretty groundbreaking record in Travis Scott’s discography. It’s a big statement that gives us a lot to love, a lot to feel, and a lot to think about. I look forward to seeing the continued discussion and dissection of the album. More than anything however, I look forward to all the late night drives that will be loudly scored by Travis Scott’s “MY EYES.”

Author: Jordan

Jordan Wisniewski is a passionate writer and Hip-Hop artist from North Carolina, US.