Denzel Curry first began envisioning the album's themes in 2018, and began working on it after the completion of his 2019 album, Zuu.[1] In a May 2020 interview with XXL, he shared his plans to retire from making music after releasing three more full-length bodies of work.[2] His first collaboration extended play with Kenny Beats, Unlocked, was released on February 7, 2020, followed by a remixed version of the EP, titled Unlocked 1.5, on March 5, 2021. He revealed the album title in a November 2021 interview with Las Vegas Weekly.[3]Melt My Eyez is a metaphor for people's tendency to avoid facing difficult topics in day-to-day life, while See Your Future is motivation for moving on by putting one's past behind and focusing on what's yet to come.[1] The album's themes were also inspired by several classic works of cinema, including the Dollars trilogy, The Mandalorian, Return of the Jedi, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, and Ran.[4]
It is said to be his most mature body of work yet. He talked about retiring some of his past alter egos in favor of embracing his true personality and feelings through the music: "I'm not trying to be Zeltron. I'm not trying to be Aquarius Killa. I'm not trying to be Raven Miyagi. I'm not trying to be any of those personalities or any of those people. I'm Denzel. I'm a human being. I have feelings." He intended for the album to go in an entirely different direction from his previous works, calling it "the end of an era" and telling fans they were not going to "hear the same type of Denzel anymore".[5]
Curry announced the album on January 5, 2022, by sharing a "Western-style" teaser trailer to his official YouTube channel.[6] The short trailer depicts Curry walking through a desert alone while an appropriate instrumental plays, before displaying a list of people who are featured or have worked on the album, among them: T-Pain, Rico Nasty, JID, Slowthai, Thundercat, Robert Glasper, Karriem Riggins, and Dot da Genius.[7] On January 24, the single "Walkin" was released, along with a similarly Western- and sci-fi-inspired music video directed by Adrian Villagomez. That same day, Curry announced a North American and European tour with special guests Kenny Mason, Mike Dimes, Redveil, and PlayThatBoiZay.[8] On February 24, another single—"Zatoichi" featuring Slowthai, titled after the Japanese fictional character—was released, also accompanied by a music video directed by Villagomez.[9] On March 18, Curry revealed the album was to be released on March 25.[10] On March 21, a third single—"Troubles" featuring T-Pain—was released,[11] along with a music video starring the two.[12] The album was released on March 25, 2022.[13]
Extended edition
On June 1, 2022, a remix of "Walkin" featuring Key Glock, was released as the first single for the extended version of the album.[14]
On September 30, 2022, the extended edition was released featuring 10 new songs recorded by Curry and the Cold Blooded Soul Band, as well as two previously unreleased songs— "Larger Than Life" and "Chrome Hearts" (featuring Zacari). The album was promoted with a livestream concert: Melt My Eyez: Live From the Komodo City Cafe, on September 29.[15]
Melt My Eyez See Your Future was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on eight reviews.[17] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[16]
Robin Murray of Clash described the album as a "breathless, breath-taking experience" and awarded it a score of nine out of ten.[20] Kyann-Sian Williams of NME gave it five out of five stars, calling Curry "the Renaissance man of Southern hip-hop" and praising his ability to "[provide] a priceless sense of self-discovery as he explores his countless facets."[26] David Crone of AllMusic applauded Curry's "reflections on past misdoings [...] while his verses are packed with slick wordplay."[18] Alisdair Grice of DIY said, "It feels like an album not caught in time, instead spanning and encompassing it".[21] Alex Nguyen from Beats Per Minute enjoyed the album, saying, "Melt My Eyez See Your Future is a profound exploration of the state of the world and Curry himself. He works with a diverse set of producers and collaborators to transform his sound and incorporates the aesthetics of Westerns and the samurai films that inspired them to disclose his inner feelings and personality".[19] Blaise Radley of Dork said, "Taken as a whole, this is the sort of cohesive artistic statement he's been aching to make for years".[22] Reviewing the album for HipHopDX, Ben Brutocao stated, "It's not an ambitious but heavy-handed declaration of truth (Ta13oo), nor is it an all-encompassing love letter to his home state (Zuu). It's just a rap album, albeit a very good one, and it shows just how dynamic and forceful Denzel Curry can be when he releases himself from the poisonous burden of perfection".[23]
Kerrang! critic Emma Wilkes said, "While this record isn't going to lure rock purists out of their dens, it has greater ambitions in mind, and the amount it achieves in the space that it does is staggering. For any artist of any genre, this is the textbook for innovation".[24] Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Steven Loftin stated, "An exploration of his wildest ideas and most focused inner thoughts, Melt My Eyez See Your Future comes together like a cataclysmic showing of everything he's learned, and most importantly, he's embracing himself".[25] In a positive review, Pitchfork's Steven Kearse said, "On Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Curry again retools his sound, trading livewire energy for introspection and vulnerability. The album lacks the vividness of his past releases, but its concept offers a glimpse into Curry's roving mind".[27]
Year-end lists
Select year-end rankings of Melt My Eyez See Your Future
^Kohner, Kyle (December 15, 2022). "BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2022". Beats Per Minute. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
^Breskin, Stefan (December 1, 2022). "The Best Albums of 2022". Complex. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^Shorter, Marcus (December 6, 2022). "Top 50 Albums of 2022". Consequence. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
^Morton, Luke (December 19, 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^Ngyuen, Alex (December 5, 2022). "The Best Albums of 2022 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
^Sawdey, Evan (December 6, 2022). "The 80 Best Albums of 2022". PopMatters. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
^Simpson, J (December 22, 2022). "Top 20 Albums of 2022". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
