13 Months of Sunshine by Aminé | Album Review
the artist's first solo album since 2021
Aminé is an interesting character because it is hard to state his impact on the rap game since he exploded in 2016 with hit single “Caroline.” He has carved his own lane of rap with this largely hyper-upbeat, bubbly quick rap and higher pitched delivery that is fun most of the time. But the switch up in 2020, with perhaps his best album so far in Limbo, really showcased and elevated his craft beyond the image he’d cultivated up to that point. It showcased a real hunger and vulnerability with the perfect amount of homage and features to culminate into a great album. From lamenting over Kobe to preaching about the perils of white girls, you have to wonder if he can match that effort half a decade later.
13 Months of Sunshine is Aminé’s first solo, full-length attempt since Limbo, having done a summetime collab album with Kaytranada a couple of years ago and a followup to his ONEPOINTFIVE mixtape in 2021. The full project has a runtime of 48 minutes and houses features from Leon Thomas, Lido, Waxahatchee, and Toro y Moi.
The album erupts from the ground with “New Flower!” featuring Leon Thomas who filters along the background with pitched down vocals. The synths that slot next to a funky bassline are addicting and add a layer of complexity that aids Aminé’s message of building his own foundation through financial troubles. His soil, Portland, is vital to his growth, its ever persistent rain packing down the soil of his soul until he buds into a complete person as he delves into the 30’s.
A lot of positives to open the album are stripped with the mention of psychedelics in “Feels So Good,” which feels like a meta attempt at creating a narrative as you traverse through the album. The drunk and high delivery here over the Carribean-esque, uptempo beat is incredibly repetitive and, honestly, just annoying. This altered state of mind, unfortunately, extends beyond this track as he attempts to “cleanse” in “Sage Time,” by being upfront about his usage — the primary factor being depression. “The weight of the world might be too much for my knees,” Aminé squeaks out over an awful, incohesive beat. He keeps mentioning wanting 13 months of sunshine after all the down-in-the-dump episodes, but this trip-hop prevents him from any meaningful nirvana.
As a result, a large swathe of this album feels misguided. Only bits and pieces of first third of the album are even worth listening to. Outside of the first track, the first 30 seconds of “I Think It’s You,” about 10 seconds in the middle of “Cool About It,” and the lead single “Vacay,” are the only moments worth listening to.
The track with Waxahatchee sticks out like a sore thumb and it is just not good. There’s tolerance for trying something new, then there’s branching out in the hopes to be different. Regardless, this song fails on essentially every level to be even remotely interesting. The lead singles, “Vacay” and “Familiar,” sort of pull our heads out of an ass a little bit, but even that is generous. Noisy, nondescript, and littered with skits that don’t add anything to the overall plot of the album, rather they only serve as a waystone to the next track.
The vulnerability, and the intentional shifting down in gear, in “Doing The Best I Can,” is beyond welcome. Serving as a refocusing, this trap is stripped down to its bare bones, the soft piano lilting along behind a lamenting Aminé, who croons and provides intentional introspection. While he is still under the influence — “I’m trippin on something strong / I’m sippin on something strong” — a stronger focus on the roots of this depression comes into focus. The elder voice here plays a more relevant role, particularly when you take the verse, “The kid is still around, I don’t wanna be the man of the house,” into account. Refusing to grow up is one of the most sentimental forms of rebellion and it flourishes here.
It feels like a short breath of fresh air past the midway point of 13 Months of Sunshine. The latter half doesn’t feel weighed down with trying to be eccentric or different. Production feels a little sharper, the bars are coming off a little less forced. “Temptations” is probably the most well-rounded track the album has to offer, pining back to the exacting nature of Limbo while still providing an interesting soundscape with meandering, auto-tuned melodies dancing from ear to ear.
That said, nothing drastically improves from the baseline. While the effort is reigned in the latter half, nothing really blows me away. “Be Easier On Yourself” and “Raspberry Kisses” are just meh. “13MOS” sees an interesting new inflection from the artist in the first verse, one that is reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar, but ultimately doesn’t wow me until the beat switch, and by then it feels too late.
Blips of excellence are few and far between on 13 Months Of Sunshine. Somehow, after the first track, it feels almost entirely downhill. If Limbo wasn’t such an incredible album, I don’t think I would have a baseline for what Aminé is capable of. The production seems intent on creating this digital world of happy fun playtime and it is an utter failure — it does not at all mix well with Aminé’s message of the album nor his delivery. If I didn’t know any better, it’d feel like sabotage. I think Aminé lost a little focus here, trying to stray away from the sounds he is most efficient in, and the result is an incoherent, noisy mess.
Rating: 5.9/10
Favorite Tracks: New Flowers!, Temptations