This album takes a melancholy turn each time you remember that Juice isn’t around to revel in its success.
Jarad Higgins, known better as Juice WRLD is making headlines after his untimely death back in December of 2019. He passed away a few days after his 21st birthday from a seizure linked to an accidental overdose. Fans everywhere mourned the death of the emo rapper, and Juice’s label decided to release a posthumous album with 21 tracks. Sales for this album have been through the roof and Legends Never Die has had the biggest debut of any album released in 2020 so far.
Listening to this album is bittersweet. I have never listened to a Juice WRLD album in its entirety so I was basically going in blind with no expectations. Tackling themes such as drug addiction, personal demons and even his hope for recovery, this album takes a melancholy turn each time you remember that Juice isn’t around to revel in its success.
The album started a little slow for me and didn’t really pick up until the fifth track, “Righteous.” Opening the song with “Yeah, I know the truth is hard to digest” feels incredibly present and the chorus is bound to hit fans hard when they listen to it. Out of four features, only two stand out to me (“Life’s a Mess” and “Come & Go”). Those two tracks are sonic opposites with “Life’s a Mess” being understated and sweet and “Come & Go” being upbeat mixed with Marshmello’s EDM.
“Fighting Demons” and “Wishing Well” are two songs that bring a new level of depth to the album. The level of introspection seen in the lyrics alone is remarkable especially since he sings of an untimely death in both of them. “Let’s be for real/ If it wasn’t for the pills, I wouldn’t be here/ But if I keep taking these pills, I won’t be here” reflects on the thin line he walked with his drug addiction. Both of these songs seem especially prescient. Continuing along this line, “Can’t Die” is another bittersweet track where premature death is the focus of the song.
Legends Never Die continues our glimpses into Juice’s world and allows us to continue to relate with the vulnerability he grew his career from. The outro, “Juice WRLD Speaks from Heaven'' provides a final goodbye to the artist and while bleak, also ends with a thank you to his fans (“I couldn’t ask for better fans or supporters. For sure, I love all y’all to death, 999, forever. The party never ends”).
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