THROUGHLINE
Carter: Pi’erre Bourne’s music is easy on the ears and wildly enjoyable. For every filler track, there are two (or more) songs that fit into a summer playlist of your choosing, making TLOP5 a relative success.
Marty: The Life of Pi’erre 5 is an enjoyable blast off into space, filled with catchy choruses, simple one-liners, and prodigious mixing, mastering, and production, but its journey is not very different or distinct from other Pi’erre projects.
PRODUCTION
Carter: If Bourne’s greatest musical skill was lackluster on TLOP5, the whole damn thing would fall apart. Luckily for us, the fifth installment in his widely-recognizable, self-created chronicle features some of his best beatmaking to date. “4U” stands out on this album for a couple of reasons (as you’ll see in later sections) — the humming synths ease the listener's mind, as they nestle atop a sharp bassline. Another bright spot — and one that goes without saying — is “Switching Lanes,” the long-awaited, unmastered leak that finally comes to fruition on this project. “Butterfly” skips around wonderfully, whereas “Retroville” succeeds for its muted fluidity — both styles triumph for the same reason: simplicity.
Marty: People can hate on Pi’erre all they want, but there is one thing that Pi’erre does better than any other trap musicians: he has some of the best production imaginable. Pi’erre glides each track seamlessly into the next, making the entire album sound like a space adventure where each track is a stop at one planet and each transition is the journey to the next planet. This gives the album a collective identity, rather than being a hodgepodge of tracks. Each synth or 808 is exquisitely placed and peppered with experience and maturity, showing why Pi’erre isn’t just a run-of-the-mill trap artist.
WRITING
Carter: It’s expected that Bourne’s songwriting would get a little monotonous on this record — such is the case with all of his The Life Of pieces — and, accordingly, the all-industry production would make it a non-factor. On TLOP5, however, there are a number of choruses that prove to be some of his best-written. “Couch” is the immediate indicator: his hook paints a picture of where he was, and how so much has changed since then — and, god damn, is it bouncy. “4U” wins again here; his melodic flow doesn’t miss a step throughout the entire record. Also, shoutout for two BACK-TO-BACK Playstation references on this one: “Girl, like my Playstation, you know I’m 4 you” and “Like my Playstation, girl, let my console you.” Nice.
Marty: I’ll be blunt about the writing. Many of the verses are stuffed with elementary one-liners and low-brow rhetoric. But if that’s why you're listening to Pi’erre, then you are listening for the wrong reasons. The consistently catchy choruses make this album one of the most enjoyable works of the year. Songs like “Couch'' and “Biology 101” give the listener some great sing-along lyrics that are flat-out fun to sing. I have sung, “I remember sleeping on my brother's couch, with a couple thou,” maybe a hundred times since I heard the song.
FEATURES
Carter: Playboi Carti was born for Pi'erre Bourne beats — this is a given. Naturally, their collaboration on “Switching Lanes” is solid. If there was a second spot (besides the man himself) that could go to anyone, it’d be Uzi. So, once again, “Sossboy 2” rips (although it isn’t the strongest feature I’ve heard). The final feature from Sharc is also a winner — the Pi'erre Bourne cosign runs laps around one of the album’s harder beats.
Marty: Three up, three down. Playboi Carti on “Switching Lanes" is easily one of their worst collaborations. Lil Uzi Vert on “Sossboy 2" is really weird and seemed forced (that Carrie bar still rubs me the wrong way). Sharc on “Drunk and Nasty" is the best fit of the three, but still very forgettable.
MESSAGE/CONCEPT
Carter: Big ol’ vibes all over the place.
Marty: Like many trap artists, there really isn’t much of a message, but that's totally okay. Pi’erre talks about the many women he gets, the copious amount of drugs around him, and his newfound party lifestyle since his fame. That’s pretty much it, and I’m all for it.
FAVORITE MOMENT
Carter: “4U” is a rare, coveted “five-tool” record. You can do literally anything to the tune of this gem, and it’ll fit the situation perfectly. As far as a ranking of every TLOP series is concerned, this one sits very close to the top.
Marty: The flawless and precise transitions are the highlight of not only The Life of Pi’erre 5, but pretty much all of Pi’erre’s discography. Either that, or the rhythmic choruses we were blessed with on almost every track.
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