The 16th Best Album of 2025
The 16th best album of the year is a follow up to a top 5 album of 2024 (for me anyways). Joey Valence and Brae mature a bit while still having a blast on #16, Hyperyouth.
I was pretty surprised (and super pumped) when JVB put out a single in June just a year after No Hands dropped. But honestly, despite a feature from JPEGMAFIA I was pretty ambivalent about it. Then the title track and Live Right dropped and they reeled me back in. This album is undeniably JVB, fun beats (although seemingly a little more polished imo than their first two albums), lyrics that still walk the line between too cheesy and just cheesy enough, and upbeat delivery that demands you get up and dance. But while the jokes remain there's a definite maturity going on here. While No Hands was all jams, all partying, all the time; Hyperyouth takes some time to think. To express gratitude. To ponder what it means to grow up and how we change as time goes on. It never gets too serious, but there is a definite tonal shift on the album as a whole, which I also think the more polished production plays a role in.
Where No Hands was just a blast from cover to cover, and was honestly exactly what I needed last year; I appreciate Hyperyouth immensely. It's cool to see the growth while still holding on to some (most, tbh) of that youthful energy that makes JVB who they are. This album might not reach the heights of No Hands, but it makes space for JVB to continue to grow, and maybe that's even more important in the long run, while still being a damn fun time in its own right.