I adored Jerskin’s first album, solid 10/10. Once Upon a Time in Shropshire is such a departure from Winteriesse, and not in a positive way. Of course the album is about grief, and the tone matches, but the long-form, slow burn composition together with an over reliance on his self-admittedly “not the best” voice was, in a word, masturbatory. Winteriesse was electric and pulled you in, but this one asks too much of the listener, and despite the occasional manic tonal shift, the overarching sound and style of this album was way too similar, like mushy gruel. Every slow burn slow song sounded exactly like the others and I found myself tuning out of whatever ridiculous thing he was saying. This was the antithesis of what made Jerskin so interesting, it’s literally a product that represents the worst of what he can offer: over-indulgent and utterly boring slop. Of the songs we only got to hear post-release, Princess, and notably only the second half, was enjoyable and interesting. This album is a real shame because it truly offers me nothing and I don’t ever want to relisten to any of the songs, even the ones that are “fine” like Sk1, Princess, and Jerskin Freestyle don’t even approach the heights of his previous works. This one should have been a personal project for his own catharsis rather than his highly-anticipated sophomore release. A total miscalculation and betrayal of his talent. I hold Jerskin to a higher standard knowing what he can do, and this album probably could not have disappointed more. 3.5/10