Accompanied by a Netflix movie, “Entergalactic” is the eighth studio album released by rapper Kid Cudi. Creating an album based on a movie is a new creative venture in Cudi’s career. The movie also titled “Entergalactic,” is an adult rom-com animated movie with Kid Cudi cast as the main character Jabari, a charming man coping with his struggles to fit love into his life. 

The songs depict Jabari’s journey with relationships and love in the movie. The intro track “New Mode” sets the stage for this project, with lyrics from Jabari’s perspective about meeting his love interest. The song “Shake Her” follows, with lyrics about Jabari’s adoration for his love interest, strongly adhering to the theme of infatuation. The track follows the journey of Jabari meeting his love interest using the affectionate lyrics, “Every night, in the memories, can’t escape you if I tried / You stay with me, ain’t no use, I’m mesmerized,” that pair well with the euphonious background and effectively show Jabari’s feelings. 

As the album contains a heavy R&B influence, Cudi features hip-hop R&B artists Ty Dolla $ign and Don Toliver. The artists pair energetic and soulful vocals with Cudi’s hums on their respective songs “Willing to Trust” and “Somewhere to Fly.” Furthermore, solo songs “Angel” and “My Drug” create an atmosphere of homeliness and fluidity with the bouncy and serene background sounding ethereal. 

Although the album is cohesive with its messages about Jabari’s adoration for his love interest, the production and lyricism do not excite listeners. “Entergalactic” provides a serene feel focused on simple, loving emotions, but Cudi’s nonchalant and quiet hums mixed with the mellow production ultimately make the album boring. 

Additionally, Cudi is known for his storytelling abilities that pair well with his psychedelic production, but the lyrics in “Entergalactic” are disappointingly shallow. The songs are predictable, with basic repetition of Jabari’s feelings for his love interest. For Cudi fans who expect new and creative sounds, “Entergalactic” is underwhelming. The production is minimalist with low, light jazz mixed in with quiet string accompaniments. The mixture of the two results in soft-sounding tracks on the project that blend in with each other.    

However, Cudi hasn’t forgotten his hip-hop roots and in contrast to the soulful, songs on “Entergalactic,” Cudi delivers a hefty rap in the song “Can’t Believe It.” Along with the ending track “Burrow,” these songs feel like a reward to make up for the rest of the 13 tracks on the tedious project.  

Overall, “Entergalactic” sounds like a Kid Cudi album. He sticks to what he knows, incorporating his signature use of hums and soothing production. However, the album does not take any creative risks and doesn’t give listeners a new experience compared to the rest of Cudi’s discography. Thus it ultimately serves as a mere counterpart to the movie, and although it suits the movie’s message well, the LP does not stand alone. 

3/5