“The Party Never Ends” is far from a bad album, but is ultimately underwhelming given its importance to Juice WRLD’s legacy and fans. Graphic by Grade A Productions | Used with permission
Late Chicago rapper Juice WRLD’s third and final posthumous album, “The Party Never Ends,” dropped on Nov. 29. After a series of heightened hopes and broken promises about the album’s launch, Grade A Productions finally delivered Juice WRLD’s concluding project just nine days before the fifth anniversary of his tragic passing. The album, running short of an hour, consists of 18 tracks hand-picked from the thousands of unreleased tracks Juice WRLD recorded before his death. Fans were promised a finale done in “the best way possible,” but perhaps this party was destined to fall short — rather than embracing Juice WRLD’s iconic melancholic sound, the project instead dillydallies with hype upbeat choruses that reappear in every other song. The party may go on, but the host is long gone.
The album begins with the title track, “The Party Never Ends,” using a concert audio clip to introduce the artist and tell fans to “get their cellphone light up right now” and “put it up.” The song opens as a bass-boosted anthem with the high-energy feel of a live performance but transitions into a slower and more distorted sound, ending with the lyrics “I said it first, the party never ends / I’ma see you on the other side.” It’s an opener that perfectly captures both the excitement and sadness of a final Juice WRLD album, balancing the two emotions and bringing teary eyes to all the fans who waited four long years.
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