Lil Peep’s death from a drugs overdose in 2017 hasn’t stopped a thriving industry continuing in the emo rapper’s wake. Last year’s Come Over When You’re Sober Pt 2 compiled unreleased material found on his laptop by his mother. And the new documentary Everybody’s Everything traces 21-year-old Gustav Åhr’s progress from SoundCloud rapper to mercurial talent who struggled with mental health, fame and addiction.
The album of the same title comes described as “a lovingly curated collection of songs from Lil Peep’s career” and is an overview-cum-trove of unknown treasures. Cobain and WitchBlades – the latter an eerie celebration of bipolar outsiderness – are previously released collaborations with Lil Tracy, and there’s an acoustic version of their Walk Away As the Door Slams, taken from the film. Three other tracks appeared in October on the Goth Angel Sinner EP, which Peep had planned and titled before his death.
Belgium and When I Lie both pivot on Nirvana-type riffs and feature Peep’s trademarked blend of rock, fizzing hi-hats, Auto-Tuned rap and contemporary disaffection. The former offers a sad twist on the theme of holiday romance: boy falls in love with girl on tour, she won’t answer the door. The latter is chilling: “Stick that needle in my eye, just lost my peace of mind / I’m not evil by design but I feel dead at times.” A slew of other previously unheard material ranges from indifferent to great.
Some songs – notably the “bitches and coke” cliches of Ratchet or the unremarkable discourse on “seeing dead people” of Aquafina – sound like rough demos. However, the original version of I’ve Been Waiting, a duet with iLoveMakonnen, is a fine, sad rager, while the Gab3 collaboration Fangirl is glistening, downbeat pop.
There are fewer references to death and self-destruction than on this album’s predecessor: the predominant theme here is unrequited love. The sublime Princess finds Peep pleading for “one text so I can get some rest”. Similar thoughts power Text Me’s beautiful blend of rap and blue-eyed soul. It’s a mixed bag, as posthumous collections often are, but there is enough to suggest that much wider stardom was well within his grasp.
