Lil Uzi Vert returns to the music scene with the long anticipated album Eternal Atake dropping a week earlier than expected, if not two years late.

After multiple feuds with his record label not letting him put out new music and multiple sets of singles thought to be a part of the album dating back to 2018, Uzi let the project drop at a moment’s notice with a trailer for the album followed shortly by the actual release.

With such a hyped buildup to the album’s release, there was no realistic way for Uzi to meet the astronomical standards held by music listeners across the globe; however, the album is still a solid piece of work when set aside from the expectations of his fans.

Reaching over an hour of content, Eternal Atake is Uzi’s longest album to date outside of deluxe releases. This, coupled with only one feature on the whole project, make Uzi share the spotlight with no one but him and the extraterrestrial production on the album.

The two singles leading up to the project’s release that made it on to the final cut, “Futsal Shuffle 2020” and “That Way” deviate from the rest of the album’s theme which created even more suspense when seeing them as purely bonus tracks and create a listening experience free of spoilers, a feat few artists accomplish today.

For the first leg of the album, Uzi maintains a traditional sound and concept with simplistic trap style production and little in the way of melody. Highlights for me include the opening track “Baby Pluto” and the muted piano and addicting hook on “Silly Watch.” The outer space theme is prevalent in different styles throughout the project but is infused into the production effortlessly on the tracks “POP” and “You Better Move,” although the lyrical content is somewhat lacking.

The album begins to morph into something more starting with “Bigger Than Life” and moves into a more cinematic experience with a heavenly choir beginning to show itself in the production for most of the rest of the album. Songs like “Bust Me” and “Prices” take this “choir trap” to a new level and are simply a joy to listen to.

The album ends with “P2,” a reimagined cover over his most popular song from his previous works,  “XO Tour Llif3,” with a darker style in production and a more numb feeling that sounds just as good as the original while conveying a completely different message.

While overall a solid album, Uzi does not meet the out of this world expectations he created through his several delays, features with other artists, singles, and album trailer coming before it. While listening, it does feel like Eternal Atake is more of a collection of songs rather than an album, which Uzi typically thrives in, yet was somewhat of a disappointment following the hype. His experimentation on the second half of the album with choir instrumentals is remarkable and something I hope to see replicated in the future by him and others.

I would give this album a 6/10. My favorite tracks include “Silly Watch,” “Prices,” “Baby Pluto,” “Bust Me,” “P2,” and the two bonus tracks “Futsal Shuffle 2020” and “That Way.” My least favorites are “Secure The Bag,” “Celebration Station,” and “POP.” The deluxe edition is set to release very soon and will allegedly include ten new songs to enjoy. Hopefully, Uzi’s next release comes sooner than this one, I will be looking forward to it.