After putting out a couple of EPs and Mixtapes since their kickoff in 2020, grouptherapy. folds and rolls through variations of genre-bending soundscapes in their debut. Might not be refined, ‘I Was Mature for My Age, But I Was Still a Child’ is still able to hit more hits than misses through the trio’s embrace of their creative passion.
grouptherapy. is a hip-hop collective that wheeled through EPs and Mixtapes that knit their artistic DNA, fleshing out their influences towards pop, rock, R&B, and hip-hop. Comprised of SWIM, TJOnline, and Jadagrace, they teamed up through and through to provide resilience for themselves as they brushed away from the acting industry that numbed them and sat down to start a new beginning for themselves. And ever since the collective’s start in 2020, the refinement of their craft keeps unveiling more and more, eventually manifesting throughout ‘I Was Mature for My Age, But I Was Still a Child’, their debut album.
Inspired by the other flourished collectives such as Brockhampton and Odd Future, grouptherapy. swarms themselves in any possible genre combination that they could come up with, where the wild flair from that fusion is enhanced further with the trio’s ability to rap, shout, and sing throughout these instrumentations. And yet again, there is the variation in the genres the trio is riding on that allows a lot more color to bleed through, making SWIM, TJonline, and Jadagrace have a landing pad where they don’t stumble hard on being on their expressive hot streak. From bouncy trap, sandy boom bap, drum and bass, to pop rock, the trio is just backflipping consistently through these soundscapes and fitting nicely in them. Amidst those sonic rooms, however, some cuts stand stronger amidst the rest, exhibiting the best of what grouptherapy. can show. The clamoring rush of guitars on ‘American Psycho’ is as delightful as the sneering delivery that grinds more edge as it goes on. ‘FUNKFEST’ has that stomping groove that pushes the melodic momentum into a thrilling pace. The shuffling piano and percussive lines on ‘smiles :))’ is hypnotizing as it gradually unfolds. ‘how i’m feeling’ is a tropical cut where the sweeter bass lines and shuffling beat peels into a sunny, relaxed tone. The dramatic swings on the chorus of ‘Nasty’ have enough zest for the trio to just loosen up and embrace their slickness. ‘Peak’ with its woozy atmosphere and bubbly jersey club bounce is admirable from front to back which allows the chorus and verse to pop off. And ‘thatsmycheck.’ with its hazy synths and rumbling trap bass create a bounciness that’s a lovely addition to the overall cut.
The exhilarating vibrancy of their performances leverages the nuance the trio delves through, where amidst all that flexing only sheds how much they find themselves exhausted mentally and emotionally from the sense of success that they’ve garnered when they were turned into child stars. There may be some good in the fame and wealth that they’ve attained, but it’s not a satisfying road to walk on, especially when the connections and relationships that they have amassed seem shaky at best as the trust that comes in between just comes off haphazard and dubious. Despite that, however, Jadagrace, SWIM, and TJOnline still embrace the freewheeling, queer passionate flair they still have at the end of the day, an aspect that is translated well within the music in this project with how much they just work together in exuding their firmness as musicians.
As much as the project has its pretty wondrous melodic and writing moments, the trio still has ways to go in terms of refining their craft. The variety of beats and genres that the project has is appreciative, yet it can make the structure rather shoddy. The first half might start strong, but the momentum starts lagging around the second half where the melodies start feeling unkempt and less special than they should be. While there is something commendable about how the trio works well with the beats they’re riding on, they still lack a sense of sharpness in terms of the rap flows that SWIM and TJonline put forth, and it would have been nice for Jadagrace to provide more rap verses to allow her presence to glimmer more besides her bringing her gorgeous vocals to flesh out the melodies across the entire record. Lastly, surrounding the songwriting aspect, the feeling that they’re still in the way of refining their eye for detail in terms of fleshing out the arc they’re going with is also apparent here, which means that the lyricism can snag from moment to moment that isn’t exactly able to flesh out more of what grouptherapy. is reaching for thematically.
‘I Was Mature for My Age, But I Was Still a Child’ might not exactly create a striking momentum from song after song, but there is brilliance to be found in how Jadagrace, SWIM, and TJOnline swerves from genres and styles. Unfolding more and more is the stark capabilities the trio have in presenting their colorful flair in a way that sticks more than it does not. It’s clear to acknowledge that the record provides a sense of smile knowing that the trio is going on their merry way, not letting any label give them any more pressure as they’ll perhaps prefer staying independent for their own sake, willing to choose their colorful confidence than going back to an industry that will eat them alive again.
Favorite Tracks: ‘American Psycho’, ‘smiles :)’, ‘how i’m feeling’, ‘Nasty’, ‘peak’, ‘FUNKFEST’, ‘thatsmycheck.’
Least Favorite Track: ‘DYSBF!’