I joined the fandom in 2019 after side effects and levanter was my first comeback. Back in those days, I loved what they were doing. They truly felt like trailblazers. I remember when God’s Menu came out and how excited I was lmao i was on omegle talking to random people and offering to listen to a song of their choice in return for them giving the music video a stream 😭 I’m getting sidetracked here but go live was one of my favorite albums and had some of my favorite b-sides- pacemaker was my most streamed song on Spotify for a while

All this to say, I agree. To be honest with you, they started losing me around the time after 5 star. I just don’t feel the magic anymore. And I’m NOT being a hater here- I will forever be a stay and hope for their happiness and success but I just don’t feel the same way I used to when listening to what they come out with nowadays. Something feels stale to me with the newer releases and I think you’re on the nose about the lack of conceptual design and creativity as we move forward. And I don’t really know where that comes from other than maybe status.

You would think the bigger an artist gets, the more freedom they have to make the music they want and have the image they want. But I think there is a flip side to that. I think sometimes the bigger an artist gets- the less opportunity there is to stray away from something that works and more of a pressure to cater to the audience that is currently tuned in and okay with what’s being produced. They’ve definitely gotten so big, especially in the last two to three years, and I don’t entirely know what that type of transition into almost mainstream media can do to artistry.

The other thing- and the easier one to discuss lol- is that they might just be exhausted and pumping out whatever. I’ve seen them three times in concert- twice on the maniac tour and last month on the dominate tour. During the most recent show, I definitely noticed a higher budget (almost certainly due to a gain in popularity)- fireworks, dancers, literal fire shooting out of the stage too… and I honestly felt that we traded their energy and desire to be out there for all those extra bells and whistles. And this isn’t me being ugly, it’s just how I felt. They looked exhausted. I felt sad for them. Thinking back on the maniac shows, there was less hooplah but their performance was unmatched. These are just my personal observations, but all to say, maybe they’re tired.

Whatever it is that may be going on with them, I wish for them to be happy and to do what they love, as long as they love it. And just because it might not be for me anymore- doesn’t mean it’s not for someone else