BROCKHAMPTON’s latest studio album, “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE,” is a mixed bag of an album featuring both career highs for the group and also forgettable tracks that could have been left on the cutting room floor.

BROCKHAMPTON is a group that was initially known for its frequency of releases, dropping all three albums in the “SATURATION” trilogy throughout 2017, which catapulted them to success and a deal with RCA Records. Following two mediocre projects since the release of “SATURATION III,” however, the group took a two-year hiatus to focus on the creation of “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE,” a move that may have frustrated fans but ultimately paid off in the long run.

The album’s opener and lead single, “BUZZCUT,” is an energetic and vibrant song that succeeds where the group’s fourth album “iridescence” failed. Featuring a hard-hitting and cartoonish beat, Kevin Abstract delivers an aggressive verse that is complimented perfectly by guest Danny Brown’s over-the-top insane delivery. Creative lyrics like “walking the beat like Abbey Road” make the song a fun listen and something that will likely end up on repeat for anyone who hears it.

“BANKROLL” is another highlight, and after having been teased for over two years, BROCKHAMPTON fans everywhere will be happy to finally hear it. The beat is groovy, featuring a great bass line and flute-work, and A$AP Ferg delivers an uncharacteristically great guest verse with A$AP Rocky’s minimal contributions on the hook as the icing on the cake for this track.

“WHEN I BALL” is a great track as well, featuring a very lavish instrumental reminiscent of Kanye West’s “Late Registration,” produced by none other than Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. The song sees the group’s most talented rapper, Dom McLennon, talking about his childhood before Matt Champion delivers a verse on a similar subject matter. This is by far one of the most chill songs on the album, and one of the most fun to listen to.

The album is not without its flaws, and none are more prominent than “CHAIN ON,” which features an admittedly great guest verse from JPEGMAFIA. However, the song sticks out like a sore thumb. The hook is boring and sluggish, and the classic ’90s hip-hop sound doesn’t really work in the context of the rest of the album. “COUNT ON ME” is another miss, which is a shame because A$AP Rocky’s guest verse and the hook are excellent, but the song loses all momentum after the first chorus ends. There is an unwelcome feature from a relatively unknown rapper, SoGone SoFlexy, and unfortunately, he also stinks up “WINDOWS” later on in the track list.

The tracks “OLD NEWS” and “WHAT’S THE OCCASION?” are so boring that they can be a real chore to even get through one listen of, and “WHAT’S THE OCCASION?” in particular features a drab chorus from Joba that manages to establish absolutely no theme for the song whatsoever. These two tracks should have been scratched or replaced without a doubt.

To save the best for last, “THE LIGHT” is one of the best songs that BROCKHAMPTON has ever released. The track features intense yet grand guitar work, but before it gets into any instrumentation a clip of Joba talking about his father’s suicide is played. His pain really translates through his verse, with hard-hitting lyrics such as this bar about his father: “When I look at myself, I see a broken man / Remnants of my pops, put the Glock to his head.” Joba also gives the most emotive and powerful delivery of his career thus far, before handing the track over to Kevin Abstract for an equally powerful verse about how his homosexuality put a strain on most if not all of his family relationships. Despite being openly gay, his mom still hasn’t fully accepted this, and nothing hits harder than Kevin rapping “I still struggle with tellin’ my mom who I’m in love with.” “THE LIGHT” is by far the best track that “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE,” has to offer, and it easily ranks within the top five tracks ever released by BROCKHAMPTON.

“ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE” is not perfect, and it suffers from some filler tracks and bloating, but it is a welcome return to form for BROCKHAMPTON and sees the group releasing some of their most emotionally mature and sonically impressive work to date. Skipping over some of the more uninteresting tracks leaves a very solid album, and at the very least it offers hope to fans that BROCKHAMPTON is back on the track to greatness.