[Melissa]: Hello everyone and welcome back to In The Mix.

I’m Melissa and today I’m here with

[Raul]: Raul.

If you love music, album breakdowns, and honest opinions, then you’re in the right place.

Today we’re going to be talking about and breaking down the album that had 32.8 million streams on Spotify within just the first 24 hours.

Octane, the newest Dawn Tolliver album.

Just two years ago Dawn Tolliver came out with Hearthstone Psycho, which had some hits and got him more recognition in the music world.

Did Octane keep Dawn Tolliver in the loop of top artists after Hearthstone Psycho?

Did he grow as an artist?

Now that his new album has been released for about a month, how are you feeling about it all?

Yeah after a month of its release, you know I’m still bopping Octane.

Yeah I have some of my favorite songs that I’ll get into in a bit, but yeah so far the replay value is pretty pretty amazing to be honest with you.

No yeah I agree, I still have that whole album on repeat as well.

Have it in the gym, in the car.

Yeah in the car, yeah.

Especially in a car, it hits different.

It hits different.

It really does, I agree.

You said you wanted to talk about your favorite songs too.

Yeah let’s start with Tuition.

It’s still my number one song off the album.

It’s just like Dawn Tolliver’s flow, it’s exceptional.

I like the beat as well, just it’s like chill, but like not that chill if that makes sense.

But another song ATM, I mean straight up banger.

That intro, that’s like chef’s kiss.

And lastly Rosary.

Can’t go wrong with a Travis Scott and Dawn Tolliver combination.

They always have exceptional chemistry within each other and I feel like off of that song, I felt that Travis Scott had a strong feature despite you know not having a good feature run lately but he did an exceptional job on Rosary so those are my favorite songs.

Yeah going back to your favorite Rosary, oh my god I was kind of laughing about it in the car because I was listening it to before I came to school.

That dude always has to have his little, what does it say, let’s go.

You know that little thing he says and I just thought it was so funny cuz the lyrics are very like lovey and then you just hear Travis Scott in the back.

Let’s go, I’m like oh my god.

Yeah but yeah those are really, that one was one of the ones that had to kind of grow on me a little bit.

Yeah for me too I wasn’t really like okay like it was at that time I was like you know what it’s a good song but you know as time went on you know it obviously like resonated me.

Yeah cuz my favorite, okay they were the popular ones but I feel like they were the popular ones for a reason but Call Back, oh my god that’s just that’s just a song for the baddies you know.

It’s too many songs, you can’t go wrong with it.

So good.

Gemstone, oh my god I don’t know maybe I’m being biased cuz you know trumpets or whatever but the brass in that intro is just so good.

It’s so loud, it’s banging yeah.

It’s so good I feel like it’s just high energy.

High energy exactly.

And then I couldn’t like decipher if I wanted which one I wanted for like third it’s Body or E85 cuz Body it’s just every time it plays I just.

That sample was amazing, he did a well job.

Like he didn’t do too much with it but it was well.

Yes his samples throughout all his songs or whatever were so good he just like knew how to incorporate them in style where it’s like it’s so different from the song that the samples from and his songs and I think he did a really good job with that.

Him and his producers cuz I was seeing them all over TikTok and I was like damn how many producers are on these songs but anyways like E85 like going again with the samples with his Malcolm Todd sample and as an intro was just like who would think Malcolm Todd is over here in a rap song you know that just electric guitar was just so good.

He did his thing on that.

He really did yes.

That was an amazing job by Don Tuller and the producer team.

Very great job.

Those producers look really young too so I was like wow well yeah y’all did your thing for sure.

They because people kept bashing them they’re like you guys keep posting and posting that you guys are producing this but it’s like I would too.

Who wouldn’t?

Yeah cuz I think one of them one of those songs is like the most string one of the most string songs so I would I’d be blasting that thing all the time too like I did that but yeah and then going back one of the songs that you mentioned were your faves that grew on me was Rosary.

I feel like I didn’t pay attention to it as much during like the first rounds when I was hearing this album and I was just like it’s another song it’s cool like it has a cool laid-back tempo and stuff like that but after like really looking at the lyrics and stuff like that I was like okay okay I see why people like this song it was really good.

Another one like we were just listening to it right now sweet home and pleasures mine okay those are songs were at first like again I think I didn’t pay too much attention cuz they’re at the end.

Yeah I felt like one of those like outlier songs.

Yes I feel like not a lot of people listen people like talk about those songs yeah but they really should be talked about.

It really should.

Especially cuz the tempos and the whole like the song overall is very different from like I feel like his previous music I would say so yeah.

Like you can’t really compare that song to like I don’t know some other previous works that he’s done before I feel like so that’s a exceptional job by him.

Mm-hmm what other songs did that grew on you within the time of this month?

I would say Rendezvous.

I don’t know how to pronounce it but it’s a song with Ye.

When I was listening to that song at first you know Ye, his performance like you know what that sounds like I but you know obviously now that I had the month of listening to the song you know this song is a banger.

Ye and Don Toliver I feel like they don’t ever miss whatsoever and like that the production on the song it felt like space like spacecraft I don’t know if that makes sense but like like Star Wars I don’t know it’s just it felt futuristic but that’s that’s where that’s one of the songs.

Another song, Call Back you know initially I thought like you know that’s a good song but it’s like pretty short it’s like two minutes but it did a job like I don’t know it’s just a banger and lastly Opposite oh my goodness obviously I’ve been that song is been repeating me repeating for a while now but yeah that song is just amazing I love like it’s like another gemstone to me if that makes sense like the majority of the song but those are some of the songs that grew on me.

Oh my god I love he love rendezvous rendezvous is like a destination like you’re going to a rendezvous or it could be like you’re all meeting up somewhere that’s the rendezvous point oh okay okay I guess that makes a sense with the song but yeah okay oh Ye’s voice makes me crack up I think that’s why I like it though cuz like his little voice.

It sounds like a baby voice.

Yeah and then the lyrics are just catchy yeah that’s another thing yeah I catch myself just like saying those lyrics in my head like all day and I’m like I get stuck in your head yeah which I think he did really good with this album of making lyrics that get stuck in your head definitely okay now we talked about our favorites and which ones we think like you know deserve more hype but what songs fell off to you?

Tarasuni um you know I’ve been listening to that song ever since they got released in September October I don’t even remember but it’s a good song don’t get me wrong but you know I’ve been listening too much now to the point where like you know I’m kind of tired of listening to that song that’s one reason another song canine I don’t know the future style baby I mean he’s done work with Travis Scott and Jack Boys too he’s a cool artist up-and-coming artist but personally it’s not for me the beat is nice the dog the dog barking is nice too but I don’t know I just personally cannot gravitate to that song yeah is there any songs that fell off for you or all of them are just straight bangers okay it never fell off for me cuz I never really liked it I say we’re a long way to Calabasas it’s too short I think I just don’t like it I don’t know maybe I don’t know is it like the singing part maybe it’s the lyrics yeah maybe the singing on how he sings but it just wasn’t hitting for me maybe because like since it was like a hype thing and like in my head I’m like okay I’m like bumping this is at a concert or like at the gym or like a club or something like this is a liar yeah and long way to Calabasas I’m like okay why am I depressed now or something you know well it’s not a depressing song obviously but yeah I don’t know it just wasn’t it’s like a to chill the song yeah and it’s pretty short too okay yes I think that’s why but I can see well my canine but at the same time I feel like that song also couldn’t fall off because I feel like it also didn’t get so much hype like oh my god when you mentioned that dog bark I love it it just added a little pizzazz into this song like I don’t know it was just so good right there tiramisu I agree but also a lot of these songs are mm-hmm no I think he’s doing good with his promo though because a lot of songs are getting tick tockified yeah body but they’re still good like I can still listen to yeah I’m not tired of it I’m not tired of it mm-hmm so yeah maybe like tiramisu I can see though tiramisu I can see that yeah but yeah for me it have to be long way to Calabasas but that just wasn’t really oh that’s understandable though okay replay at all but a song I would recommend though that we like play that back over and over for me would be call back like I just can’t ever since that album came out that was just my top song I just I love it yeah for me it has to be opposite and this is an underrated pick to be honest I feel like not a lot of people are picking this song up and they definitely should because you know this this song is absolutely like explosive the majority of it the entry you know it’s like China like it’s like a what’s it called it’s like hyping it up and then boom when it hits you get it it’s really good so I recommend that song opposite and yeah yeah I agree his production really did good with the whole like obviously they’re not gonna have like music oh I don’t know actually how people produce music right but like the whole crescendoings and stuff into his the climax basically of the song they did really good into all of that so yeah I think they did really good with that you also have some other songs you were skipping I noticed oh yeah second hand too I just I don’t know why people are just like hyping this song up it’s it’s an overrated for me personally it’s not really a bad song it’s not really an accident it’s like mid for me because um Rema the feature artist off of that song I mean he’s cool but it wasn’t really like striking me mm-hmm and the whole song it just like way too laid-back for me personally so I I would personally skip that song okay yeah I’m not gonna agree or disagree yeah how do you feel about that song second hand yeah um I kind of liked it I did but I think it’s also cuz I think it’s the transitions into his songs too I think that make it work for me what I was looking and looking at the more I listened to it where the lyrics and I think that’s where I like second hand and stuff um yeah the lyrics lyricism oh the songs mm-hmm the verses yeah I also think you did really good with this features of all these songs they like fit it wasn’t really a bad feature no to be honest I really won’t hmm I realize I didn’t put on here one of the songs that I may skip which song is it all the signs signs no I think I’m just like a hater like not a hater like I don’t know I don’t think Tiso touchstone just isn’t my fave he’s really versatile I wait too much for people to yeah I’ve tried so much to like get into Tiso touchstone sounds like okay what if I just like hear a lot of his music right and then I’ll get into him and stuff but I just I just couldn’t hate it like I want no no I don’t hate like I hate that I can’t get it ah yeah yeah but hmm yeah but apart from that I like his other ones like yeah I like his child Scott Travis Travis Scott I think Travis Scott was the best feature there’s just like if Don’t tell him he’s gonna come out with an album he’s just a guarantee feature if we’re being honest I’m just kidding for real this song was all about Cali which is exactly it she wasn’t even there she wasn’t but it was dedicated it’s just true though yeah why would she be there I had to sit back and just listen to all the music exactly which oh yeah exactly like when you said sit back and watch all his music one thing he did do really good is his promotion for all of this music that dude was in like every concert every festival every club everything last year just like being out there I feel like that’s why he got more recognition within the music and rap world put in that work yeah he was at all the Rolling Louds he was supposed to be a camp long now but couldn’t make it so it’s gonna be a headliner for the next Rolling Loud in Florida yeah and that’s why he couldn’t go to the camp going on because he had another Rolling Loud to go to he has a residency at the LAV club in Vegas and he’s always there which two would come out like three in the morning but you know I still waited it’s worth the wait though it’s it was exceptional performer you know it’s so good and I mean it was like it wasn’t like a concert vibe either cuz like he was like right there in front of me I was like it was just a little bit of people yeah it was a vibe and tickets are not expensive if you want to go see Don Teller like for low-key cheap yeah at least it was for girls I don’t know for guys for guys it’s probably a little more expensive.

Oh yeah it’s gonna boost the ticket prices.

His concert wasn’t that expensive either though.

It wasn’t I’d say yeah his yeah what you we talked about his theme kind of of how it’s for Kelly it’s for Kelly Luches.

I think it’s for love songs like in his way this is kind of like lovey-dovey in my mind.

Lovey-dovey but also some hype songs as well it’s not gonna twist with Gemstone, Opposite, Body.

I mean I don’t know.

Body but who is body about?

Oh next question.

Thank you.

But yeah the theme overall it was pretty good you know I obviously some people don’t really like it they’re like oh it’s like too much for me like oh like no but it’s not really cringy it’s not cringy it’s like because like I said it’s his type of love songs because obviously he’s not gonna give us love songs like Kelly Luches is giving you know it’s gonna give his own type.

His own type exactly.

Like dude’s still calling her a B word the whole entire like you know yeah the whole entire like album but like I feel like he’s doing it a little less than previous albums where I was just like who the heck are you calling out you know?

Yeah.

But yeah.

So.

But anyways let’s compare it to the last album Hearthstone Psycho.

I feel like dude the two come it’s like they’re two completely albums but they’re also similar in the sense like there’s some hype songs there’s some love songs of a Hearthstone Psycho but I think I think Hearthstone Psycho was more boyish.

Yeah more boyish yeah it’s like it’s like biker gang almost and then like all kids like for lovey-dovey.

It’s for the baddies.

Yeah it’s for the baddies yeah.

No yeah I agree.

Oh my god I loved Hearthstone Psycho like an underrated song there we’re not talking about it but like 4×4. 4×4.

That’s a baby.

But I love that song.

But what would you pick right now Hearthstone Psycho or Octane.

Because some people have Hearthstone Psycho as his best album.

Dude I’d like still be playing that album through and through.

That’s a hard decision.

I have no answer for me.

What’s yours?

I have no answer.

Oh you have no answer.

I don’t know.

I personally think Laugh at Dawn is his best album.

Like it’s all of his songs are perfect for me.

Yeah I don’t know.

I don’t know.

That’s a hard question.

Yeah cuz like for me I’m gonna have to think then which one has more skips in order for me to choose.

Maybe Hearthstone Psycho.

You know what all of these songs are literally on my playlist.

No you know what it’s gonna be Hearthstone Psycho for me.

I just thought all of those songs for me are not.

I don’t have one skip for this one.

Oh okay.

Yeah.

Oh my god.

You need to get back with.

Actually right now I just thought VS Future of Metro Boogman.

Purple Rain.

Yeah yeah.

Well that’s a hard question.

You can go either or but.

Yeah we won’t judge for either.

Yeah we won’t judge.

We won’t judge at all.

But let’s go with hot takes now.

Do you have any hot takes in particular?

You can go first.

Let me think.

Okay.

You know I talked about how I mentioned secondhand.

You know people are overly praising this song.

You know saying it oh like oh it’s top 5 or it’s top 3 or it’s the best song.

But in my opinion I don’t really think it’s top 5 or top 10.

I think it’s a bottom 3.

I think it’s a bottom 3.

Come on now.

Come on.

I think mine has my hot takes gonna be more like how I mentioned in the beginning.

How like let those producers take as much credit as they want.

Yeah.

People are getting tired of it but it’s like shoot I posted a hundred times a day too.

Give me my check.

Facts.

You gotta get that back somewhere else.

Yeah but yeah I don’t think I have anything of like yeah no.

Because I feel like all the songs that I was mentioning like maybe not my favorite.

They’re not the most streamed so it wouldn’t be a hot take.

Yeah.

You know.

That’s true.

But I don’t really have any.

Yeah.

Anything else?

No that’s it.

That’s it.

Well he does pull out albums a lot so hopefully his next one’s again in two years.

Travis Scott?

Oh my god.

What do you think about that?

They’ve been teasing it now.

They have and I’m like so excited.

Dude I’m waiting for those concert tickets to pull out and I will be purchasing a concert ticket.

I will be the first one.

Do you think they’re actually gonna make a collab album like in the future?

Like actually like lock in and cook in the studio and make a collab album.

I think.

Cause that’s tough.

Once he gets like a big following because we were just wondering like earlier like oh Total Tolerant only has like what did we say like six?

Five.

Five million followers.

About six million.

Right?

And we’re like and you were like that’s a lot.

That is a lot.

I was like no it’s not.

Let’s compare it to Travis Scott.

Travis Scott has sixty point two million.

But he’s been in the game for a long time now.

Don’t tell me he’s getting started.

No yeah.

He’s on his primary now.

Yeah and that’s why I’m saying like maybe once he gets up there like a little bit more like okay he has to hit double digits maybe.

Double digits.

Okay.

For them to do that.

Well I mean cuz they have okay they have the Jack Boys which that album was really good too.

But I think that’s where Travis Scott mostly does his like collaborative features and albums anyway so I don’t know if they do like a album together just them two.

You think they would?

I think for that to happen because supposedly Travis Scott was working on a solo album so I think that if he were to drop an album and if Don Toliver drops another album then they could just finally lock in and just say you know what let’s make a collab album.

So I think they’re gonna make a collab album at some point.

Just no wait you’re not.

Yeah.

Like they know what the fans want.

They want a Travis Scott and Don Toliver album.

Collab album.

Yeah I mean it’d be really cool.

I don’t even think he’s doing that.

Does he still do that festival?

Astroworld?

I feel like that’s a very sensitive topic.

Dude I forgot.

I was literally thinking about that like a couple days ago like this guy really had a tragedy Astroworld tragedy that was in 2021.

Yeah cuz I was gonna say maybe for that case he might be like oh let’s do some like collaborative stuff and they would be like headliners or something but you’re right you’re right I totally forgot that whole thing happened so maybe not.

Maybe in Coachella?

No I don’t know.

Or in Europe.

It could literally be anywhere.

Coachella when I can go.

Just kidding.

And if you want to go to Coachella with me let me know.

Alright so that was our take on Octane.

Are you guys still bumping Octane or has it falling off your rotation?

Let us know what songs grew on you the most and which ones you are skipping on.

This has been In The Mix and we’ll catch you next week.

Peace.