Fin

Audio Mixer: Fabian Marasciullo.
Recording information: Haze's Room; McCadden Enterprises; Pulse Burbank; Rahki's Room; The Loft.
Photographer: Justin Brown .
Delivered after the Internet's Grammy-nominated third full-length, Ego Death, and appearances on Kaytranada's 99.9% and Common's Black America Again, Fin is viewed by Syd Bennett as transitional. Unless she and her Internet mates are sitting on a masterpiece double-LP that somehow puts all that valued past work to shame, there's no need to downplay this, compact, understated, and dimly lit as it is. Aspects of Fin do deviate significantly from the Internet albums. Bennett's higher percentage of boastful rhymes and a greater number of outside collaborators -- including Hit-Boy, HazeBanga, and Melo-X on one track each -- among them. The stylistic switch-ups are clever and effective without coming across as forcefully out of character. In particular, "Know," "Nothin to Somethin," and "Dollar Bills" twitch and/or bump like prime Aaliyah and Timbaland, with Bennett's offhandedly impish way of outlining discreet hook-ups and balling scenarios all her own. As ever, Bennett is a master of plainly stated but profound intimate remarks, like when she tucks "We get better every time/Learnin' how to read your mind" into "Smile More." ~ Andy Kellman