★★★☆☆
Naming an album after one you’ve already released is risky, even if you’ve done it twice before, but Lil Uzi Vert takes on that challenge with Eternal Atake 2.
You’d think that Uzi would attempt to unite the themes of Eternal Atake 2 with those of Eternal Atake, right?
The issue is that Uzi didn’t.
This sequel was not a sequel. In their previous two-part series, Uzi managed to keep the themes of both albums consistent. That clearly didn’t happen here.
The first Eternal Atake was released in 2020, revolving around themes of space and a desire for transcendence. Uzi crafts a narrative combining science-fiction elements with their experiences, offering fans a surreal, otherworldly journey.
The first few songs of Eternal Atake 2, “We Good,” “Light Year (Practice),” and “Meteor Man,” are gritty hype-up songs, like “Just Wanna Rock.” The vibes, however, don’t fit the original Eternal Atake. Listeners want to be lifted up to space, not thrown into a mosh pit.
“The Rush” could have been the album’s saving grace, thanks to its Big Time Rush feature. The song features only 23 words from Big Time Rush, though, before Uzi repeats “B—h I’m Big Time Rush” for the chorus, which falls flat.
“She Stank,” is another instance where Uzi lacks any meaningful creativity. It’s a horribly misogynistic song and an egregious example of what happens when artists don’t think before coming up with lyrics. Uzi repeats that they won’t engage with a girl because she smells, and for the rest of the song, they just sound as though they’re mumbling.
The remaining songs on the album fall somewhere between a darker, bass-filled sound and Uzi’s light-hearted flow from 2016, stringing words together while slurring them to extend the length.
“Chill Bae,” “PerkySex,” and “Conceited” are the main tracks that seem to reinforce the album’s themes.
“Chill Bae” is a song that sounds exactly like the title. Uzi’s light, slow vocals have a calming effect over the serene beat. The snare drums on the song complement Uzi’s verses perfectly.
The song details how Uzi has cared for a girl for a long time, but when they need her, she can’t come through. Uzi continually begs her not to “do the most right now,” meaning they’re disappointed that she’s refusing their efforts to reach her. Just as the title says, they want her to chill and remember the good times they had.
“PerkySex” is about Uzi and their significant others enjoying the drugs and intimate moments together. Uzi says they keep trying to quit but always finds themself coming back to the “perkys.”
Although the song focuses on the drugs, it’s clear that Uzi is also reminiscing on good moments with a girl. The way they keep coming back to the “perkys,” parallels their relationship with her.
“Conceited” is produced by Charlie Puth and is the slowest song on the album. The song is about how a girl “really thinks [she’s] all that,” and uses that perception to justify ignoring Uzi. Uzi continually questions her, representing one of the only times on the album where their repetition is justified. You can tell Uzi doesn’t believe her as their voice fades with each question they ask.
Uzi hypes up their releases, so they had been teasing Eternal Atake 2 for almost a year now, and hearing this amalgamation of songs instead of a thematic project was disappointing. The problem isn’t that the songs aren’t good, but that most just do not fit Eternal Atake.
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