Coming out of Minneapolis as the former drummer of the post-hardcore band Four Letter Lie, Derek Smith aka Mod Sun sounds like the opposite of his back-story. His debut album, Look Up, is sun-drenched pop-rap -- or as Mod calls it, hippie-hop -- as if Chris Webby and Sean Kingston jumbled their genetics and the radio only offered enjoyable hooks and irie vibes, 24-7. "Goddess" is the best example of how Mod Sun can rap a positive rhyme while trading in Maroon 5-styled swagger and pop-styled reggae, while "Howlin' at the Moon" is the less Jamaican, more Californian version of the same sweetness with light EDM powering the pre-club anthem. The topics here are light and airy and yet these singalong lyrics are a good argument that the drumsticks should be hung up for good, and if Mod Sun's jump from post-hardcore to rap seems an insincere cash-in, he's bold and brave enough to invite most of the current competition (Machine Gun Kelly, G-Eazy, Riff Raff, and more) onto his debut album for easy comparisons. Hippie-hop is a cringe-worthy term, but Mod Sun's debut example of it is still a vacation worth taking. A1 Look Up A2 Headed Home A3 Free Love A4 Goddess ft. G-Eazy B1 Did It Again Last Night B2 Howlin' At The Moon B3 My Hippy ft. Dizzy Wright B4 Shoot 'Em Down ft. MGK and Blackbear C1 My Favorite Shirt Is My Skin C2 Never Quit ft. Travis Barker C3 1970 C4 Not That Bad ft. Jody Highroller D1 Modivation D2 Mushrooms D3 Same Way Pt. 2
