-Written by John Makela-
I LAY MY LIFE DOWN FOR YOU is JPEGMAFIA’s newest addition to the discography released on August 1st, and it is insane.
JPEGMAFIA’s new album I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU (ILDMLFY) came out August 1st and I really haven’t heard anything like it. This album follows Peggy’s dark theme in music, incorporating electric guitar solos and sigunature loud ass drums. It’s another banger adding to his now heavy discography, but where does it land in terms of music this year, and compared to the rest of his career? While I don’t have the agency to necessarily decide that I will sure as hell be giving my opinion.
Personally this album has transcended a majority of others this year in my opinion, and I’ve loved this year for music! This is definitely a biassed review coming from an avid Peggy listener, but whatever listen to it yourself, you’re coming here for the review not the album. With that being said, don’t think I won’t make the argument, but just listen to it, that’s the proof.
The production on this album is phenomenal, the way Peggy uses samples and soundbites in his production is what has made his music so captivating.
ILDMYFY includes production credits from Kenny Beats, Flume, Alex Goldblatt, Billy Ray, Nick Lee & DJ RaMeMes. This is included with artist features from Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, and Buzzy Lee. With all of this being said, this is Peggy’s album, and he dominates a majority of the tracks. It’s in his nature to dominate as seen with his behaviour with fans.
Beat switches are what really get me in this album. An X post from Hip Hip By The Numbers listed a total of 39 beat switches, leading to one on average every 56 seconds. This isn’t a statistic you don’t hear either. I found each beat switch throughout the 41 minute runtime hit just as hard as the first.
New Black History displays what I found to be the most prevalent beat switch, but the contenders are close. It also included an instrumental ending done by Australian producer Flume. The track features a Vince Staples feature, and resulted in easily the most aggressive, and auditorily dynamic songs in the album. Vince and Peggy is a combination we havent seen but I really hope to see more of, because this song is fucking awesome.
My personal favourite track off of this album is on or off the drugs, a touching and surprisingly intimate song with very exposing lyrics. It’s very off-brand for this album, and Peggy’s usual style, but it’s really fucking good. You still find Peggy’s unmatchable flow, but in this track you’ll find him reflecting on his old music, his exes, and struggles with drug abuse. It’s a really refreshing track and shows a lot of Peggy that we haven’t seen.
The closing track i recovered from this, shares this same tone. It’s a grim track. Peggy talks on his downfalls in relationships, childhood trauma affecting his present, and drug abuse once again. Peggy is not known to shy away from real topics in his music, but this album really emphasises his personal struggle. He ends the track by backing away from the mic and uttering, “Alright that’s it”, then continues talking about how long he’s been working on the album. The wait definitely paid off, because he’s given us what I consider to be his best album yet.
There are many individual moments on this album that I feel deserve the mention simply because they’re awesome and I can’t not. The ending instrumental on loop it and leave it, the Future sample on New Black History, the Buzzy Lee intro on Don’t Put Anything On the Bible, and the rest of the album. I can’t express how great this album is.
Overall this album was consistent, unique, and just a good listen. The run-time was perfect, every song truly felt like its own, while containing a general feel for the whole album. Using grunge / punk elements, the album shone in its use of electric guitars, and authentic drums. This album is just an all-around, great album, and if you are reading this and haven’t listened to it then get the fuck up and do that. 10/10, genuinely.
SOUTHPORT MAGAZINE 
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