American rapper Mavi garnered attention in the underground scene in 2019 after he released his first album “Let the Sun Talk”. Following the album’s release, Mavi began working with better known artists such as Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist on projects of their own. Fans and critics alike have praised Mavi for his unique nonlinear flow and for his lyrics, portraying his existential views on life. On October 14, Mavi released his second album “Laughing so Hard, it Hurts”. The album has a runtime of around 40 minutes and is made up of 16 songs. Two of which, “Baking Soda” and “Doves” were released prior as singles.

Track one, “High John”, opens the album with a mellow beat filled with Mavi’s voice “praying they still make love in [his] size” and leads into the second track, “Spoiled Brat”. This second track is Mavi taking a different approach to his rapping, using a cloudier beat rather than his usual style. Tracks three and four were the two singles released prior to the album, “Baking Soda” and “Doves” and both have completely different sounds to them. “Baking Soda” is a slower track in which Mavi consciously raps across a bumpy beat where “Doves” has a jazzy, neo-soul sound reminiscent of what was heard on Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly”. The fifth track “Quiet on Set” is made up of Mavi talking about how he feels like the director and other times the actor in life. “3 Feet Left” is the sixth track and is a somber look at a past relationship Mavi was involved with and leads into the next track “My Good Ghosts”, a track that combines Mavi’s insightful flow with a sample filled beat. “Reason!” comes next and is one of the shorter songs on the album but still stands out for the use of piano in the beat. Track nine “Hemlock” brings us back to another slow, melodic performance from Mavi while track 10, “Having My Way”, gives us a trap beat where like the title suggests, Mavi has his way. Next we hear “Known Unknowns”, the shortest song on the album totaling just over 50 seconds. “Trip” is the only song with a listed feature on the album, that being from R&B singer Amindi. Her vocals on the chorus add a new layer to the album and is refreshing to hear as she lets us know that “it is what it is”.  Track 13 “Opportunity Kids” is Mavi asking why his relationship didn’t end up working out and why his partner left. “The Inconvenient Truth” gives the listener some advice, that being “always listen ‘fore you talk” and to know what you’re getting into beforehand. “Chinese Finger Trap” gives us an insight into Mavi’s head as he feels like a Chinese finger trap toy, “the harder [he] work[s] the smaller [his] escape”. Finally, the final track “Last Laugh” is just that, Mavi’s last laugh at the end of the album.

Overall, “Laughing so Hard, it Hurts” is an interesting look into Mavi’s perspective on life and gives the listeners a new outlook on certain attitudes. Although the album is quite different than “Let the Sun Talk”, it is nonetheless still a great listen and is definitely worth the time. A few of my personal favorite tracks on the album are “Doves”, “3 Left Feet”, and “Chinese Finger Trap”. “Laughing so Hard, it Hurts” is already one of my personal favorite albums to be released this year and is another successful step forward for Mavi in his young career.