I haven’t listened to a rap album that brought my mood up with the first track like “Happy Camper” since Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” dropped last spring. Hoodie Allen’s new sound is a huge improvement on top of his already catchy lyrical prowess, plugging his flow into a more mid-tempo, catchy beat, that sets a new standard for his music.

Right when you jump into his first track, “Into to Anxiety,” the flavor of funk on top of a more contemporary beat amplifies his evolution from a fast paced party vibe to a more mid-paced fun beat on top of the classic sound and lyrical flow that is expected from Allen. Although the song was about his daily anxieties, it lowered my own with an uplifting beat that makes stress wash away.

Going deeper into the 10-track, half-an-hour long album you’ll find more of his usual cadence on top of this funky, almost R&B beat that continuously progresses after each song into a more modern version of popular rap. The album unfolded from piano and a synthesizer funk beat base to a similar tone to modern pop-rap flow like Fetty Wap or Big Sean.

This is especially noticeable by time you reach the fifth track, “Too Invested.” The song begins with low voiced auto-tune that puts a more of a party single feeling first on top of the song. It feels like it could have been a stand alone single for Allen. Starting from there to the eighth track, “Champagne and Pools,” it starts to sound like your run of the mill party rap that Allen is known for.

It follows this progression until the final track “King to Me.” This soothing piano piece talks about his admiration for his father, and how he learned to appreciate all the things he has done for him over his life. It’s an unusually subtle way to end the album mostly about partying.

Although I normally don’t regularly listen to pop-rap, this album has brought a more enjoyable sound to the oversaturated rap scene. I haven’t seriously listened to his music since 2012 with his album “All American,” but because of this release I’ll be sure to keep up with his future work from here on out.

The album is $5 on iTunes, but if you can’t afford that, Allen put the album up on his website for free.  If you’ve liked Allen’s work in the past, this album will add a couple more tracks to your rap playlist. Even if you’ve never heard his work before, this album is definitely worth checking out.