No justice, no peace. Errol Eats Everything puts together great tunes, vibes, and personal experiences altogether in his debut self-titled album. It’s all about love, his background, discrimination, and just the perspective of living this life from Errol’s eyes. In a way, listeners get to have a glimpse of what it’s like, accompanied by catchy melodies.
The title track instantly hits with a captivating, free-flowing and easy-going rhythm, really representing the man behind the album, acting as some sort of introduction. The rhymes and songwriting as a whole are top notch as well: “Energy cannot be destroyed nor created / but energy can change form” from the track “NRG”, a personal one about reminiscence, sending love, and always moving forward no matter what.
Keeping things real and unsugarcoated, Errol Eats Everything also shares past relationships. From the line “she said, ‘I love you’ / I said ‘I love you more’ / yeah, I really did but didn’t see it” and good brass elements within the song, “Fly Girl” is a song about treachery. There’s also an inspiring track called “Beyond Yonder”, which talks about taking chances and risks, thriving and living the best life one can: “All it takes is a little care”, this one serves as a reminder that being behind doesn’t matter, and being authentic is key.
People have heard of positive self-talk, but how about the feeling of living life in style? “Ballad Of The Brutes” featuring Cla’ence Jo talks about how ignorant and bad-willed individuals have no past and future, reducing them to meaningless beings. With the mantra of “know yourself, know your worth”, it is for sure a positive track, but they make sure to diss where it’s due. Similarly, “Be Out!” featuring K-Riz, a song about avoiding or dodging bad energy. It speaks about finding balance among the negativity, basically saving one’s from it.
Stepping into the discussion of society, “Creases” focuses on reality, describing how the environment and the world around him is. It involves the enumeration of what the people in the creases – in other words, the marginalized, are like, making the song as immersive as it can get. “Round N Round”, “Kingdom”, and “Mind” approach the topic of racism, more specifically the discrimination against black people. They beseech the revisitation of history, with one of them frequently referring to pages of a book, with the entire theme as a whole being a greatly relevant tackle.
It takes a lot of courage to create art purely from the not-always-favorable world and its systems. Errol re-emphasizes “no justice, no peace” in the song “Automatic Traumatic”, featuring the bitterness of reality with all the shootings, injustice, and police brutality. It also includes quotes from victims of such within the verses. “Don’t Matter None” featuring Isaac Sawyer, a track of the same topic revolving around black lives and movements, implies losing in their existence, dialogues of news about the deaths of Eric Garner and George Floyd, with impactful lines of “All we wanted was some equality / All we wanted was some tranquility / All we wanted was some freedom / We don’t want no militarity”.
To say that these songs curated by Errol Eats Everything is impactful and moving would be an understatement. The emotions flowing within each one, especially those pertaining to inequality and discrimination, are immense. For the last few songs, the same topic is addressed, but with a more firm tinge to them (and rightfully so). “Stand Your Ground”, amidst catchy melodies and a great bassline, features verses of conversations between police and innocents, their reasoning seen as resistance. But, there’s another type of resistance they would like to impose: against that of unjustness. “Eye Said What Eye Said” is an angry plea for human dignity, a stronger response to the pressing issue of discrimination: “You told us we were free, then show us we are free / This freedom isn’t real, and it never is” shows a lot of compassion and desperation for human rights.
Last but not the least, “Grateful” wraps the album of seventeen tracks up. It starts with piano, and is overall a great end to an in-depth record. It really shows the characteristics of a great person, who sees the good in situations despite the overwhelming red signals, and who is morally good by choice: “I’m grateful for everyday, and everyone”.
“Errol Eats Everything” will get you vibing, will get you emotional, and everything in between. The rhymes make the songwriting shine, and the percussion, the overall beat, highlights those lines. The basslines make everything pop, as well as the brass elements. Surprisingly, the entire album is digestible and head-bop worthy, and it is definitely worth listening to.
Follow Errol Eats Everything
About the Author
Kate Clarice Lee is a psychology major in Ateneo de Naga University with a knack for music and writing. She takes interest in playing guitar, poetry, creative writing, and lyrics that—subjectively—hit close to home. Kate mostly enjoys indie, alternative, pop & punk rock music.
