ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE Tracklist
ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE is part 2 of The Best Years of Our Lives trilogy and the sixth studio album by American super group BROCKHAMPTON. All CDs, cassettes, and other physical releases of the album feature four additional bonus tracks not available on streaming services.
In a September 2020 interview with i-D when asked if they were working on a new album, Romil Hemnani initially revealed the abbreviation for the album (“RR”) stating:
We’re always working on an album. I cant say much about it, but I can say the initials of it are ‘RR’. Maybe the fans will figure out what it is. I’m excited about it, it’s my favorite one yet.
Later on, fans discovered merchandise pictures with the name “ROADRUNNER” on it. Henock Sileshi confirmed it as the album title through Instagram DM’s.
In March 2021, the band uploaded a video onto their website, with each member giving commentary on what “The Light” means to them. The band has been using the phrase “The light is worth the wait” during the album’s rollout. They’ve even used their official website to ask fans questions about it, such as “What does the light mean to you?” and “What’s the funniest story you’ve heard about the light?”.
On March 24, 2021, the lead single for the album, “BUZZCUT”, featuring Detroit rapper Danny Brown, was released.
In a now deleted Tweet, Kevin Abstract revealed that ROADRUNNER was originally going to be a pop album, capitalizing off the success of their now platinum single “SUGAR,” from their previous album GINGER. However, the band later shifted the album’s focus to have more rap and hip-hop elements.
In an interview with The Guardian, the group stated that the different atmospheres of the record were inspired by the changes in the recording approach the group had to make during 2020, as well as emotionally heavy personal moments, including the passing of member Joba’s father by way of suicide: Abstract specifically mentioned how needing to be there for their brother helped them focus on the emotional core of the album.
On March 31st, 2021, BROCKHAMPTON took on their official Twitter account to reveal the official cover art and tracklist for the album, whereas Kevin Abstract previewed the release of the second single, “COUNT ON ME,” and announced that ROADRUNNER would be the first of two albums to be released in 2021, before the group’s eventual disbandment.
“ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE” Q&A
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Translations
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What is "The Light"?
BROCKHAMPTON have been using the the phrase “The light is worth the wait” for this albums rollout.
In an interview with with Guardian, JOBA slightly revealed his definition of “The Light” stating:
It’s about stepping … into the light, so to speak. Or stepping into the hope and holding on for dear life.
The band has also uploaded this video about “The Light” onto their official website
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What influences did the band have while making the album?
On the day before the album’s release, Kevin listed the following as influences for ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE on Twitter:
- Retrofuturism
- MBDTF (Kanye West’s November 2010 record My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
- The 60s (Presumably, the decade)
- The Chronic / 2001 (Dr. Dre’s December 1992 and November 1999 albums, respectively)
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What does the album title refer to?
Just always being on the go, always just looking through life, observing what you can, taking what you can in, and interpreting things as you see them. “New Light,” to me, was speaking to the state of the world and finding new hope. “New Machine” is about a resolidified family unit that isn’t afraid of anything.
– Joba, 2021 Vulture Interview
