Last year, music lost one of its up-and-coming pioneers in the post-emo revival of hip-hop: Gustav Åhr, professionally known as Lil Peep. Like the rapper himself, Peep’s career was young and growing faster by the minute.  Before the release of his first album in August of 2017, Peep had a considerable following, five EPs, and countless singles; however, the release of Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 1 marked a huge turning point in not only Peep’s life, but also the emo-rap game as a whole.   

On November 9, 2018, Peep’s posthumous album, Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 2, was released.  Peep’s mother, Liza Womack, and close friend/producer, Smokeasac, spent over a year producing the long-awaited album.  The result: a perfect composure summarizing all of Peep’s sounds throughout the years, giving the rapper one last hurrah and yet another reason to be remembered.  

With his emotional lyrics, guitar lines, drowsy speech, and trap beats, Peep can be related to anything from the shoegaze bands of the late 80’s to the R&B of the early 2000’s. However, Lil Peep’s sound is still one of its own.  Unlike much of his previous music, the album contains no features and no backing vocals, making it centered solely around Lil Peep and his legacy.  The album contains eleven tracks, all telling a different story with romantic lyrics discussing the bitter-sweet moments of both life and death. In tracks like “Life is Beautiful” and “Cry Alone,” Peep touches on the issues of drug abuse, love, and mental illness, along with the pain brought with them.

In her interview with The Fader, Lil Peep’s mother says, “His songs are almost dreamlike at times as they evoke events, conversations, and feelings in a wide range of ways. Because of these honest words, many people Gus’s age could relate to his music. We all like it when a person opens up about his or her pain. It makes us feel as though we are not alone in our own sorrows.”

Whether it be the remembrance of the late artist or the personal relation to his lyrics, Peep’s music makes an undeniable influence on his audience, especially the younger generation.  His ethereal sound and perfect mixture of rap and rock will continue to be a favorite of both musicians and music fanatics alike. Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 2 is an ideal representation of what Gustav’s music was, what it has become, and what it will be remembered as.