Long time Mike Skinner fan here. Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting but this wasn't it. I mean I know when he was younger he was in his prime, but that doesn't explain why the style is so different.
Technically his flow is pretty similar to the old style, but the beats. THE BEATS?! WHERE'S THE BASS?! Every track used to have the sickest baseline that I still listen to on repeat. 'Deluded in my mind' , 'geezers need excitement' , 'same old thing' to name a couple. They shake my neighborhood when I crank those in my SUV.
This new album sounds very commercial. This may be a smart business move, to try and stay relevant. But I don't think it was neccassary. This guy is an icon, he had a very very addictive style in the past. I can unfortunately no longer say that. Still gonna bump the old tracks but these new ones don't appeal to me at all.