I keep returning to Brockhampton's albums every few months. They were here and then they were gone, and listening to them in any capacity now is bittersweet. And honestly, their music could be highly emotional/bittersweet when listened to back when they were together, too.
2018 was the year when their popularity truly exploded (going by that record deal), and then the band soon after imploded, seeing as one of their members got accused of doing some things the band certainly didn't stand for. They let Ameer Vann go, and then kept going, even though it was a struggle. Eventually, they released iridescence, which is my favorite album of theirs, depending on my mood (in good times, it's Saturation 2, but in mellower times, it's iridescence). This whole process is documented in The Longest Summer in America, which sadly only runs for an hour, but was something I found quite moving and engaging.
It's a story that anyone who followed the band will more or less know, but seeing it presented in a documentary format is compelling, and it's retold well here. The behind-the-scenes stuff is always interesting to watch, and the dip in mood from early 2018 to mid-2018 is captured extremely well. It's very personal and upfront in a way that feels almost uncomfortable to watch, like you're seeing some very intense, usually private things.
But it was good to see them pull through to some extent. They made Ginger in 2019, which was very good. I didn't really feel much love for Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine (2021), and both 2022's The Family and TM were underwhelming as final albums. Still, five out of eight studio albums being great is something special (and those five were all released between 2017 and 2019).
Downsides to this documentary? Non-fans won't get much out of it. Some scenes are really dimly lit, not helped by the use of black and white. And I wish it was longer. But for any past or present fans of Brockhampton, it's a must-watch.
