10 Observations About Kid Cudi's "Indicud"

Today marks the release of Kid Cudi's third solo album, and fourth album overall, Indicud. It's a rich amalgamation of his most recent life experiences, replete with a risky sonic landscape that finds Cudi at the helm of every note of production. There's significant growth at play here.

This morning, Kid Cudi told Hot 97 about the "cinematic" spin he tries to put on all of his releases, and Indicud is a testament to that objective. The textures are vast, the tone is consistent, and the emotions are explicit. The album presents progression and a return to form in one contained package.

After a number of listens, we've formed some very specific thoughts about this LP. If one follows Cudi's career, they'll notice that this album is at once a departure from and a manifestation of his truest sensibilities. For technique alone, it represents a landmark in his catalog. These are our 10 Observations About Kid Cudi's Indicud.

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What seemed like an experiment on the rock-leaning side project, WZRD, has become a core factor in Cudi's sound. Cudi produces every song on Indicud, and the psychedelic wail of his previous efforts is given additional knock for the more aggressive approach of Indicud. The sound's a shift for Cudi, but at the same time a new beginning. He's resolutely himself over these beats, both in subject and technique, but there's still an element of risk involved. It makes the project more exciting, and less formulaic.

In April 2011, Cudi announced that he was no longer smoking weed. There was a bit of dismay considering he'd coined himself "the lonely stoner," but the reality of Cudi's sobriety set in, and his baked contingency of followers moved on. However, Indicud is a return to the Cudi of trippy, drug lore past. He recently promoted the album's substance friendliness on a radio show with the L.A. Leakers: "It's good for acid. It's good for 'shrooms. It's good for just chilling, having a drink, having a party." Mind you, this is a good thing. The harem of influences gives Indicud a multi-faceted texture reminiscent of his earlier, edgier work. This is a reminder that the free spirit from "Enter Galactic" is always present, he's just matured.

The relationship dynamic is at least worth addressing when discussing any Cudi album. As is the case with most artists, Cudi's relevant love life dilemmas always find their way into his music. Cudi confronts them head-on, which has earned him a reputation as an artist who wears his heart on his sleeve. In one way or another, Cudi has more or less been pretty down about the ladies on his last few releases. Man On The Moon II had "Erase Me"; WZRD had "Teleport 2 Me, Jamie." On Indicud, the heartbroken sulking is at a minimum, if not relatively absent. "Girls" is the most potent example of Cudi's thoughts towards women on Indicud, and it's really optimistic. It's proof that the "I'm on my own" album have to lead to desolation, no disrespect to Alanis.

For starters, Michael Bolton is on a song. That type of inconceivability tells you exactly what you're dealing with on Indicud, especially in regard to the features. Album highlight "Red Eye" is essentially a HAIM song with Cudi production, with his vocals only coming through for literal seconds. Former Fleet Foxes member Father John Misty brings his brand of folk to the album. Rap contributions bounce between the haste of Kendrick Lamar and RZA and the calculated restraint of A$AP Rocky and Too $hort. Cudi harnesses the efforts of all of the above and molds their talents to his sound.

It's probably time that we stop trying to label Kid Cudi as a rapper. There are times on Indicud when he approaches songs with a rap-like cadence, and even drops straight bars on some records, but Cudi's unyielding appropriation of distinct melodies keeps the album from ever falling into an identifiable hip-hop trope.

You can tell from the press run for Indicud alone, Kid Cudi seems invigorated, like the work on this album. He has total control of the vision, and thus, seems even more confident in its accomplishments. Indicud is certainly dark, and it's unlikely that Cudi will ever completely stray away from the emotional lure of melancholy, but he's not lost in that despondency like he's been on previous albums. A record like "Cold Blooded" has a bleak sound and approach, but it's actually filled to the brim with boasts. There's more acceptance than rejection this time around.

"Day N Nite" hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 four years ago, and Cudi hasn't been chasing chart success since—a stance he seems completely secure in. Nothing on Indicud sounds anything like what's on the radio, yet every Cudi release pulls in millions of impressions on YouTube, Soundcloud, and the like. The fact of the matter is, Cudi has transcended the mainstream, but still remains a wholly necessary figure within it. His presence in music is inevitable, but a traditional machine isn't necessary to keep his relevance intact. Fans rally behind the hero worship of "King Wizard," the extroversion of "Just What I Am," and the introspection of "Immortal" without a signal to do so from the usual outlets. Cudi's carved his own niche and only works within its realm on this album.

With all of that said about the absence of pop-slanting efforts on this LP, that aversion to mainstream ambitions—despite such a bright spotlight—is what pushes Cudi into cult icon territory. The reception of his music is like the critical reaction to Spring Breakers. Some people are put off by the left-field, untenable nature of the presentation, while numerous others are drawn to those same abstractions, identifying with and swearing by the virtuosity.

Kid Cudi's debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day was sequenced like a movie. It was broken into five acts and even had narrative voiceovers from Common. The following two projects scaled back on the overt cinematic approach, though they did retain a tight-knit thematic structure. The film-like wonder is back on Indicud, but definitely in a more subtle manner. Quotes from Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son and Adam Sandler in Billy Madison embellish multiple records, and hold true to Cudi's vision of taking his listeners to the movies.

Cudi's always raced in his own lane, but Indicud is a truly separatist venture. He abandons all conventions of contemporary music with no apprehension. The "Flight of the Moon Man" outro is one of multiple instrumental intermissions. Guest contributions range from folk to indie pop to lite FM to old and new school rap. Cudi gets one production assist from Hit-Boy on "Red Eye," but handles the entire scope of the rest of the project himself. It's an expression of total freedom and control over his vision that really feels like the rebirth of Scott Mescudi, if only because he's at work here in such unadulterated form.