Album Review: New World Depression by $uicideboy$

By Marcus Cortez

Rap/Hip-hop Journalist

New World Depression marks as the 4th studio album from New Orleans based rap duo $uicideboy$. With their last full-length project, Sing Me a Lullaby My Sweet Temptation releasing in 2022, $uicideboy$ return with 13 tracks on their newest album. Following similar themes of their past album, New World Depression explores the duo’s state of mind in their new mainstream success following 2020’s huge hit “… And to Those I Love, Thanks for Sticking Around”, and their struggle and worries of remaining sober following their past with opioid abuse. Scrim has been completely sober since 2021, along with Ruby becoming California sober and abstaining from every substance except marijuana.  

The three singles released in spring 2024, “Us vs Them,” “Are You Going to See the Rose in the Vase, or the Dust on the Table,” and “The Thin Grey Line,” cemented that the duo would continue with their new sound of mixing songs filled with flex bars and focusing on more melodies and singing. While it is disappointing, especially following the previous year, where we saw the duo’s most experimental projects with the Yin Yang Seasons EP’s. The singles came out solid. It goes with the saying “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. Even 10 years after their debut, $uicideboy$ can still create fun bangers to give that sense of high energy or chilled out cloud rap. My favorite of the three is “The Thin Grey Line”, as it’s a very short, fast-paced track filled with flexing their success, which works great with their delivery and charisma. With a fun shoutout line from Ruby for one of their best mixtapes. “My back is aching from holding the underground down ever since we dropped High Tide.” 

The best track off the album is “Burgundy,” with vulnerability from both Scrim and Ruby rapping for the whole song with no choruses. “Burgundy” has Scrim rapping about his past with mental health and drug addiction and a feeling that despite his success, he can easily relapse. Ruby reflects on his past self and the battle that comes with moving on with lines like, “Snorting these pills like I’m trying to smell them. I’m declaring war on my cerebellum. My worst enemy is the version of me that I can’t even f***ing remember.” It’s one of the songs that feels more authentic, while some flex bars are thrown in the verses. A majority are vulnerable, showing the more negative aspects of their success and the self-doubt it can bring. Reminiscent of their 2015 – 2016 mixtapes, where similar themes were explored, focused on just laying out their feelings bar after bar.  

But one of the massive things that this album lacks, is their aggressive, horrorcore sound. Their previous 2 studio albums still incorporated this with tracks like “Bleach” and “WE ENVY NOTHING IN THIS WORLD” from Long Terms Effects of SUFFERING (2021), and “F***ing Your Culture” from Sing Me Lullaby My Sweet Temptation (2022). But most of the track list is filled with singing mixed with their rapping. It is a mixed bag in my opinion, while tracks like “Are You Going to See the Rose in the Vase, or the Dust on the Table” work great with the flow, creating a more earworm-like song, other tracks like “All of My Problems Always Involve Me” Fall too close to the cringe sad-boy rap subgenre. Too much autotune and an awkward skit that cuts halfway through Ruby’s verse, make it harder to listen.  

Though the production on this album helps a lot with the consistency of the tracks. Scrim has production credits on all 13 tracks while producing 3 tracks on his own. One of the big standouts is the beat on “The Light at the End of the Tunnel for $9.99 a Month”. Which samples “I Feel Like Dying” by Lil Wayne, giving us a taste of what a song with both New Orleans artists would sound like. “Mental Clarity is a Luxury I Can’t Afford” also uses a Three Six Mafia sample of “Smoked Out Loced Out” keeping the tradition of sampling from the Memphis based group.  

The closer “Kill Yourself Part V” sees the duo returning to other traditions with the 5th entry in their KYS song series. “Kill Yourself Part 3,” from My Liver Will Handle What My Heart Can’t (2015), is still the best song in the series. Surprisingly, Part 5 brings a great entry, with the standout being the duo incorporating the triplet flow with vocal layers added onto their rapping. It brings a lot of emotion into the song,, which I feel hasn’t been captured since Part 3.  

Overall, New World Depression does what it needs to do. While surface-level lyrics remain a staple, their sound continues to shine, both production wise and through their use of multiple flows within their verses. Fans of either their new sound or their earlier projects, pre-Stop Staring at the Shadows (2020), can find songs that they will enjoy.  

Track List Ranked Best to Worst:  

1. Burgundy 
2. The Thin Grey Line  
3. Misery in Waking Hours 
4. The Light at the End of the Tunnel for $9.99 a Month 
5. Kill Yourself Part V 
6. Us vs Them  
7. Are You Going to See the Rose in the Vase, or the Dust on the Table 
8. Drag ‘Em to the River (Totalitarian Remix) 
9. Mental Clarity Is a Luxury I Can’t Afford 
10. Lone Wolf Hysteria  
11. Thorns 
12. Transgressions 
13. All of My Problems Always Involve Me