Adrilla - Watch Yo Step (Album)

Ever since his 2018 EP “Perfectamundo” was released with substantial praise, we anticipated a follow-up from Adrilla would soon come forth. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case since shortly after; he started receiving moderate success with his collective Frito Gang. From throwing events, dropping back-to-back successful projects, and of course, performing at Mala Luna later in the next year, they were the hottest thing out in the city, and Adrilla was basking in rays. Fast-forward to now, and Frito Gang is still everyone’s favorite collective with more music and visuals added to their catalog, but as a whole, they are all working on their solo efforts, which brings us back to Adrilla. At the top of 2021, he would share a new solo track titled “Magic.” The single was much different from his previous releases yet savored the nonchalant demeanor of his laid-back wit, with Primo doing a substantial job of holding down the beat. It had piqued our interest to know if we would then be getting another solo project from him. A little bit down the road, another record from him would then surface titled “Who That Girl,” which had an upbeat tempo and a suave sense of style from Adrilla that piled on our curiosity. Not long after the single’s release, it was announced with a herecomestheart-designed album cover that would be his upcoming sophomore album titled “Watch Yo Step,” slated to be dropping on October 21st with a party to celebrate its release. Anticipation grew immediately, especially for us since we’re fans of his previous project, and the singles dropped that after, but nothing could have prepared us for the sensational sounds we were about to embark through in this 9-track album.

Starting first with “Who That Girl,” we knew he was prepping us with the vibes, and as listeners, we know your feet were moving as soon as you heard this infectious track. We tip our hats from one wave to another wave as DJ Papi Wave-produced record “Limelight” lays down these smooth drums before Adrilla starts entering through with melodic vocals that transcend into electrifying ambiance for the record. We even get a little bit of bilingual talk on the track, which is a change-up from previous joints from Adrilla, which is now showcasing his growth more and more. I like that from this track, and forward we get a mix of styles from Adrilla. Take his next track, “Quicktrip,” for example; it’s that truck rattling, down south, dice rolling, ass-shaking banger that will have you beating down the block knocking pictures off the wall. The following two tracks, “Lights Out” & “Where We At,” are back to the harmonic styles we’ve come to start noticing from Adrilla has a new sound that he’s dishing out very well. We talked about how artists will attempt to try this direction out and fail before they even get started, but Adrilla doesn’t at all. He balances out his enriching style and works this new element, so it doesn’t seem like this is changing too much of his sound but fitting to where it feels like he’s been doing it for years. The rest of the project goes back and forth in this, and that’s what amazes me because I’m grooving one track, and the next, I feel like stomping out on someone. It’s the best of both worlds and to see an artist of his caliber pull this off is a blessing to the craft. Also, I couldn’t end this part without saying how much I fucking love “Soul Food.” I enjoyed that track from start to finish so many times yesterday that it still has been grooving over here like it’s the first time hearing it.

Adrilla’s “Watch Yo Step” is going to be sitting on rotation for a while, and even because it dropped in the 4th quarter of 2021, it’s definitely going to be appearing in my top 10 of the year for sure. I highly recommend if you haven’t listened to the album yet, then do yourself a favor and take 30 minutes in your day to check it out here while sharing it around on all social media avenues.