We Don’t Trust You: The Transcendental Nature Of Music

By Karen Zheng

In a 2019 GQ interview, Pharrell Williams told Rick Rubin that, “I get blown away by chord progressions that make me feel something I’ve never felt before. To me, chords are coordinates. They send you to a place.” On March 22nd 2024, one of the most iconic producer-rapper duos in hip-hop today released a body of work that perfectly encapsulates what Pharrell was referring to.

We Don’t Trust You is the first full-length studio album between long-time collaborators, Metro Boomin and Future. Their creative synergy and musical prowess really shine through in this project and send you to a place like no other.

Future’s warbly yet melodic vocals, and his signature mumble-style of rap pair exquisitely with the nonchalant and self-confident nature of his lyrics. Intermixed with Metro’s complex and layered beats and melodies that carry a sinister, gothic air about them, this album makes for an otherworldly sonic experience that leaves you intrigued at every twist and turn.

The album as a whole maintains a sense of unity and cohesion. Yet, each individual song also manages to be highly distinctive and unique. The transitions between one song and the next are so seamless that oftentimes, you don’t know where one song ends and the next one begins. Listening to the album from top to bottom therefore, becomes highly satisfying.

Maintaining your signature sound that your audience know and love you for, while also introducing something new and original is no easy feat. And yet, this is exactly what the talented hip-hop duo have done.

Some of my personal favourites from the album include:

·      “Young Metro”

·      “Like That”

·      “Cinderella”

·      “Runnin Outta Time”

·      “Fried (She A Vibe)”

·      “Ain’t No Love”