ALBUM REVIEW: big lettuce takes us to pleasure island
*This review originally appeared in our January 2025 issue*
Credit: Yung Alfredo
“The ability to explore different themes and genres, while never letting you forget that this is a Big Lettuce album, is one of the many factors that will have you listening to this album on repeat.“
There is always an air of “expect the unexpected” when doing album reviews. It’s a fairly accepted fact that opinions on a song, or group of songs, will change over time. Whether that solidifies one's love of a piece of music, or makes them retroactively cringe at something that used to spark joy, it changes.
Within the first few seconds of Pleasure Island, the latest album from Big Lettuce, it became apparent that every time it is heard, this music will most certainly make listeners bump their heads. Beginning with a simple piano loop, some hand claps and a choir of voices, the fervor that was about to come was evident immediately. With the familiar “Fan-taco-tastic” that has become a staple call-back for Big Lettuce, the eleven-song auditory journey had begun.
Not only is opener “Self Care” an absolute club banger, but the message held within is refreshingly positive. Taking care of yourself, loving yourself and being comfortable with who you are is all very important, and it is refreshing to hear that message tucked away in a song whose surface intention seems to be to just make you dance.
As track one blends into track two, the tempo and fist-pumping bass do not let up at all, but the lyrics go from the uplifting message of taking care of oneself, to the more risque topic of, let’s say, taking care of someone else. Fun, flirty, and definitely not safe for work, “Nice Shoes” does not mince words when stating intention in the narrative, but the drive of the beat and melodic layers ensure that this track is unskippable.
One standout track is “Cherryzero" with a feature from Yung Alfredo, a constant collaborator with Big Lettuce, who appears on a couple of songs on Pleasure Island. The back and forth between the two MCs is immaculate. Witty, and at times comical, neither vocalist outshines the other. Instead, they are in a tight syncopation, serving the song to its fullest.
“Shoulda Been a Cowboy” keeps up the tempo and steady thumping beat, but this time adds some acoustic guitar, fiddles and even a whistle straight out of a Sergio Leone spaghetti-western.
“Star69,” again featuring Yung Alfredo, kicks off a sequence of less club-centric songs, with just a hint of some smooth slow-jams, without ever letting the BPMs dip too low.
The ability to explore different themes and genres, while never letting you forget that this is a Big Lettuce album, is one of the many factors that will have you listening to this album on repeat. It’s an obvious choice for a dance party, but also the perfect companion to keep you going on a long road trip.
Not only are there moments of masterful anthemic dance grooves, but also fun guitars and bass lines that would fit right in at the peak of the disco era. Coupled with the sharp, hyper-sexual lyrics and a flagrant disregard for anything that isn’t high energy and deviantly fun, Pleasure Island is sure to be heard at house parties and on dance floors for years to come.
Full of great songs, that not only have charm, wit, and a carefree youthfulness, but also a lingering sense of adulthood and knowledge that the party can’t last forever, Pleasure Island has already earned a place in 518 history.
If I had to wrap up this album with one, hyphenated word, it would definitely be “Fan-taco-tastic.”
Pleasure Island is out now on all major streaming platforms.