Mixed Feelings for ‘Honestly, Nevermind’

In true Drake fashion, his latest album needed no introduction or promotion. Just a few Instagram posts hours before release day were enough to send fans into a pandemonium of anticipation. Less than a year after Certified Lover Boy was released, the Canadian rapper’s seventh studio album Honestly, Nevermind dropped at midnight on June 17.

The album flows smoothly from track to track, with nearly every song highlighting Drake’s dancehall, afrobeats, and UK garage influences. A genre he fully began to explore on Views in 2016, Honestly, Nevermind is largely characterized by Drake singing over muted dancehall beats that evoke intimacy over high energy. Though past hits like “Controlla,” “One Dance,” “Too Good,” “Passionfruit,” and “Get It Together” were standout tracks on other Drake albums, his latest efforts seem more suitable as background music rather than electric club bangers.

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Cohesiveness, however, is a strength of Honestly, Nevermind, especially toward the beginning of the record. Seamless transitions between “Falling Back” and “Texts Go Green” as well as “A Keeper” and “Calling My Name” give listeners the feeling of listening to one connected playlist mixed by a DJ. But some later tracks are forgettable and overly repetitive stylistically, like “Tie That Binds” and “Liability.” Yet Drake remains as emotionally troubled as ever; lyrically, his characteristic lamenting over breakups and failed relationships is still largely present. On “Down Hill,” Drake sings wistfully, “We don’t connect anymore, far, far, far gone / We spent last summer, we spent last summer so differently.”

The album closes with the trap banger “Jimmy’s Cook” featuring 21 Savage, which is most reflective of the bulk of Drake’s catalog. With over 32 million streams on Spotify, far surpassing any other song on the album, “Jimmy Cooks” is easily the fan-favorite this time around.

At age 35 and with nearly two decades in the industry under his belt, Drake continues to deliver different aspects of his artistry on every new project – whether it’s well-received or not. In my opinion, Honestly, Nevermind highlights many of Drake’s strengths and signature styles, but it fails to completely captivate and lead listeners into new territory. Yet no one can argue with the impressive longevity of Drake’s career and the variety of content he produces. So if you’re a fan of dance music, maybe this is your bop. But if you crave trap beats and hard-hitting rhymes, you’ll have to wait till the next Drake album.

Listen below to Honestly, Nevermind.