Blunts continues chasing the formula that made him viral, but the results increasingly feel lazy instead of exciting.
I’m starting to think the jig is up for Dave Blunts. When he first exploded with “The Cup,” there was something fascinating about him. Obviously, the song itself caught people’s attention, but watching his big-ass perform it during Juice WRLD Day made the whole thing even more viral. Since then, Blunts has released several projects, giving us enough material to figure out whether there’s actually something substantial underneath the viral moment. Unfortunately, I’m not hearing enough to convince me.
Ulysses feels like more of the same. Blunts continues to lean heavily into immature lyrics about former friends, petty insults, excessive drinking, and his junkie lifestyle. Also, his breathless delivery is all over the project. As you may already know, he often sounds like he’s recording immediately after running a mile.
The frustrating part is that I can hear flashes of talent. “Mirror,” for example, features a melody that feels genuinely unique and makes me wonder what Blunts could do if he just leaned more into his own creativity. That’s the version of him I want to hear.
The production isn’t necessarily bad either. Most of it features energetic, dreamy trap beats that should make for an easy listen. But once again, it sounds almost identical to the music he’s been making for the past two years.
At some point, repetition becomes a problem. I think the talent is there with Blunts, but Ulysses feels like another lazy and bizarre effort that doesn’t move him forward.
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
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