The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Alyssa Tyler editor in chief
In honor of my last review for the Collegio, I decided to reminisce over an album that was an everyday favorite my first year here. Kevin Pouya, better known by his last name, Pouya, released the album “Blood Was Never Thick as Water” in October of 2021. This album is one of my all-time favorites and I will always be open to listening to it.
The album opens with ‘Dying Slowly,’ this song has an interesting beat. The opening minutes consists of smooth jazz, then around 1:30, there is the classic Pouya beat and lyrics. The depressing lyrics, “One more conversation, help me through the night. I’m stuck with deathbed text messages. Visions that burn through my skull. Wishin’ I could see you one more time before my time to go.” And “I set the bar so high, I’ll die before my prime. But if my words can live forever, then it’s worth my time.” These lyrics are some of my favorites out of Pouya’s discography.
Second is ‘Wig Split,’ which is almost entirely different than the first track. Instead of a smooth beat, there is heavy bass, a co-artist, Denzel Curry, and more violent lyrics. ‘Don’t get your wig split for talkin’ like a witness, I got gorillas with me, point and shoot, no hit list. You’re deadbeat, now you’re laying six feet deep. Boy, you bark, we bite back, I don’t need no hype man.” I enjoy this song, but it stays on my workout playlist.
Third is ‘Why Do We Get High’ offers a happy in between, the beat is fun and catchy, and the lyrics are thoughtful instead of violent. “I walk a tight rope between God and the reaper, and I’m ready for either, but they leave it up to me to choose my path.” This song is a staple in all my daily playlists to the chorus. “Why do we get high? To balance out the lows. Why do we sit by and watch the world implode? Not getting any younger and that’s getting really old.”
Fourth is ‘I’ll always be around’ will always be a top five favorite for me. The opening immediately grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until the end of the song. When the weather is nice enough to have the windows down, this song is permanently queued. Pouya is known for his lyrics and beat, and this one was very easy to memorize, making it even better. “I’m not even at my pinnacle, I’m nowhere near my prime.”
Fifth is ‘Out the Mud’ again, to sound like a broken record, this song is easily another one of my all-time favorites. The overall ‘feel’ of this track is similar to Wig Split, with deep bass and more aggressive lyrics. This track sits on all my playlists, from workouts, car-rides, and others.
Sixth is ‘One deep in the Fleetwood’ I do skip this song normally, none of the lyrics stick out and the drums in the background are distracting.
Seventh is ‘Walk In’ was created with Lu, another artist. The lyrics provide some inspirational and relatable advice, “To keep my destiny in order. When you’re older, you will thank me for it.” Then “Keep your head steady for the final mission or the bigger picture. It’s never you against the world, it’s you against the mirror.”
Eighth is ‘Forever waiting for you at my window’ is yet again one of my all-time favorite songs. The beat, melody, chorus, and lyrics make it impossible to skip. “Now I gotta let this die, yeah. Visions in my mind, I see you every time I sleep at night. Close my eyes, I feel your fingers running up and own my spine, breathing down my neck you got me stuck inside the limbo, but I can stay forever waiting for you at my window.” And even if this song is not meant to be romantic, I let myself believe it is.
Ninth is ‘Leave me alone’ is an upbeat and is another unskippable song. The mood of the song is vibrant and upbeat even with Pouya saying that he feels like the reaper is coming after him, and he is going to be next.
Tenth is ‘stuck in admiration’ if I was forced to pick a top favorite of this song, it would be this one. With the lyrics, “’Cause I can’t be nobody but myself, I know I’m changin’ been trying to wrong my rights before I make it cremation, thinkin’ bout my past, it got me stuck in admiration, with you, baby, lately, I’ve been goin’ crazy with you stuck in my mind.” The song offers a smooth beat, interesting lyrics, and an overall fantastic rhythm, it’s almost impossible to beat.
And finally, eleventh is, ‘the first step of becoming god is a bottle to the face’ This track is unremarkable compared to the others. This song reminds me closely to the first track, Dying Slowly. With the jazz themes and depressing lyrics, it’s a reminder of how the album began.
Overall, I would love to say this is a no skip album, even with it being filled with some of my all-time favorite tracks, I still skip some songs. Those being ‘One deep in the Fleetwood’ ,‘Dying slowly’ and ‘The First Step of Becoming God is a Bottle to the Face,’ even with these skippable songs, five of the 11 tracks on this album have been on my top favorite songs for two and half years, earning this a 5/5.