Released in May of 2026, Bladee’s album “Sulfur Surfer” received many contradicting opinions. Bladee never fails to make one of my top three on Spotify Wrapped. Considering this, I was excited to hear he was coming out with a new full album. I tend to not have the highest expectations when it comes to new releases. I never want to be disappointed with a new album release after hyping it up for a month. However, I always have high expectations for Bladee.
Starting out with the album cover, my first impression was that it is very fitting for all of Bladee’s album art. I highly enjoy this album’s cover art, it is bright and intricate almost like a page of an “I-spy” book. “Sulfur Surfer” follows a character, something that adds another level of depth to this album. Off of my first listen, I honestly wasn’t the biggest fan. I wasn’t disappointed but I also didn’t even have a favorite song after listening. After I had taken some time to think on it and given it a few more listens, my opinion changed.
The first song off the album is titled “Sulfer Surfer,” the intro is almost a sort of manifesto from the character Bladee is portraying throughout this album. As the song goes on, it starts to sound like a normal Bladee song, reminding me of a few off his 2018 album “Icedancer.” The manifesto-esque lyrics come back into the song towards the middle and end which is something I haven’t seen a lot of in his other albums. I feel that this song was a perfect way to start off this album, almost introducing the character who will be embodying “Sulfer Surfer.”
“Versailles Flow” has a much more calm beginning, more melancholic, something that people often overlook in Bladee’s music though it is my favorite aspect of his music. I am predicting that this song will possibly go overlooked for its “deeper” meaning. Though Bladee hasn’t come out with his inspiration for this song, it speaks of “fallen angels” which I believe alludes to temptation, a motif often used in religion. Though these sorts of symbols are used frequently in Bladee’s music, they often go overlooked due to people only seeing him as a “cloud rapper” which typically alludes to intricate beats and meaningless lyrics, which is not at all what Bladee’s music actually is.
“Highland Tyrant” is one of my favorites off of this album; the words have a rhythm that gets stuck in my head. Towards the middle of the song the character that Bladee has created comes through again in an almost “demonic” voice, something that is rarely seen in Bladee’s music. In the past Bladee has gone for higher octaves in his voice which is something not typically found in modern day rap; in “Sulfer Surfer” this low octave voice comes out more frequently which is something I find interesting. I believe that this is showing his development as a musical artist.
“Dolor” starts off with sounds of other Bladee songs and goes into less rap, but more singing, something I have always found special throughout Bladee’s music. The lyric “the evil isolation of the star shall dress and look the part” really stood out to me. In past albums, Bladee refers to himself as the “trash star” in a “trash world.” I believe that this lyric is saying that Bladee has become such an icon of a more hidden community which has caused him to feel almost frozen in time, having to put on his same persona for the public.
“Killswitch” goes back leaning into rap, switching between a more “evil” sounding persona and a “calm” sounding persona. I view this as the feeling of having to put on the costume of what used to be you and having the new real you escape unwillingly.
“Fox & Birch” (feat. Current 93) is again a more melancholic sounding song off this album With quiet vocals and echoes. This is another one of my favorite songs off of this album due to its unique yet familiar feel. Towards the end of this song the beat sounds almost “medivil” to me, with a sort of electronic stringed instrument and a sample of a mans voice reciting what seems to be a poem.
“Under my Umbrella” though beautiful, is at the bottom of my list (or at least for right now) the song wasn’t as memorable to me as the others. I do however enjoy the vocal effects in the middle of the song.
“The Dark Mirror” starts with what sounds like an argument between one person. This song reminds me a lot of a few songs off of “Cold Visions” released in 2024, with a similar vocal tone and synth sounds. I really enjoyed the end of this song due to the shift to a calmer sound fading out into silence.
“Durins Bane” is a very different sound compared to “The Dark Mirror” starting off very abruptly with lyrics that gained popularity due to their comedic qualities, “I had laid so many nights, i’m becoming skinny-fat, i got rice, granola bars, fruity loops and apple jacks”. I really don’t know what Bladee’s intention was with this bar, but i am really looking forward to a possible interview analysis for these lyrics. This song also really reminds me of “cold Visoins” which was an album i loved.
“Stoner” starts with the symbol of “the beautiful martyr” , a phrase that was used in a single Bladee released last year. This song is sort of hypnotic to me, catchy and intricate. The end of the song has a nice fade, much like many other songs off of this album.
“Black Fire” has a catchy chorus but didn’t make it to my favorites. I view this song as more of a filler in the album.
“Blondie” the second to last song off of this album, starts with more of a manifesto sounding intro like the first song off the album. I believe this is the most popular song off of this album so far, and I see why. It really shows Bladees development as a character throughout his music. Again, this song ends with a fade into a calmer voice and quieter beat that fades out into silence.
The last song off the album “scab” is a great end to this album and is one of my favorites. This song is 5 minutes long but acts as multiple songs with a transition to a backing guitar and poetic lyrics, ive seen this in Bladees music before with “5 star crest” and I believe it is so special and a surprise when listening for the first time. The end of this song is angelic which is a beautiful contrast to the “manifesto” in the beginning.
To wrap up this analysis/ review, I’d like to state that though some of these songs weren’t my favorite it is most definitely an amazing listen, it follows a story line of a character, battling with himself, something i think everyone can relate to in some way or another. This album is a truly amazing representation of Bladees character and his creativity, showing his development form when he first started releasing music.
