Saturation III

To promote Saturation II, Brockhampton released a single from the album for every week of August along with accompanying music videos. The night that "Sweet", the final single from Saturation II was released, the music video for the song "Follow" was posted, along with the announcement that Saturation III would be released before the end of 2017. However, "Follow" was later revealed to not be included on Saturation III, but rather with the Saturation box set along with other musical demos.{{cite web|last1=Berry|first1=Peter|title=BROCKHAMPTON WILL RELEASE A 'SATURATION' SERIES BOX SET WITH DEMOS AND A DVD|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/10/brockhampton-box-set-december-demos-dvd/|website=XXL Mag|date=20 October 2017 |publisher=Townsquare Media, Inc.|accessdate=November 26, 2017}}{{cite web|last1=Goddard|first1=Kevin|title=Brockhampton Announces "Saturation 3"; Releases First Single|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/brockhampton-announces-saturation-3-releases-first-single-news.36588.html|website=Hot New Hip Hop|date=23 August 2017|publisher=Urbalinx Media|accessdate=November 26, 2017}}

In October, it was revealed that Saturation III was scheduled to be released in December. On December 1, the release date for the album was announced, along with the statement that it would be the last studio album by the group.{{cite web|last1=A.|first1=Aron|title=Brockhampton Say "SATURATION III" Is Final Album, Share Release Date|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/brockhampton-say-saturation-iii-is-final-album-share-release-date-news.40266.html|website=HotNewHipHop|date=December 2017|accessdate=December 3, 2017}} This statement ended up being false, as what was to be their fourth studio album, Team Effort, was announced later that month. On December 6, the track listing and cover for the album were revealed.{{cite web|title=BROCKHAMPTON on Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/brckhmptn/status/938537294931288064|website=Twitter|author=@brckhmptn|date=December 8, 2017|accessdate=December 8, 2017}} Keeping in line with the previous Saturation albums, the cover featured vocalist Ameer Vann, however every preceding day alternate covers featuring other members of the collective were revealed. On December 13, 2017, the short film Billy Star was released, directed by Kevin Abstract and starring multiple members of Brockhampton. The short film included snippets of the songs "Bleach", "Nation", and "Team" (titled "Evanie" in the film) from Saturation III.

On December 12, 2017, the first song from the album, "Boogie", was released as a single along with an accompanying music video. The song "Stains" was revealed on Apple Music's Beats1 radio station on December 14, 2017.{{cite web|title=.@brckhmptn are giving @zanelowe a new tune. #STAINS is the #WorldRecord. Hear it Thursday: 10AM LA / 1PM NYC / 6PM LDN.|url=https://twitter.com/Beats1/status/941066473971183616|website=@Beats1|accessdate=December 14, 2017}} Both tracks were produced by Romil Hemnani and Jabari Manwa.{{cite web|last1=Jabari|first1=Manwa|url=https://twitter.com/JabariManwa/status/941367154032697349|title=STAINS prod by me & Rome|website=twitter.com|accessdate=14 December 2017}}{{cite web|last=Hemnani|first=Romil|url=https://twitter.com/romilhemnani/status/940754090946191361|title=boogie. produced by me. additional production by bari.|website=twitter|date=December 7, 2017|accessdate=December 13, 2017}}

{{Album ratings

| MC = 82/100{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/saturation-iii/brockhampton|title=Saturation III by BROCKHAMPTON|work=Metacritic |accessdate=December 22, 2017}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/saturation-iii-mw0003138632|title=Saturation III - BROCKHAMPTON {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=allmusic.com|language=en|access-date=2020-10-09}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = B{{cite web|last=Purdom|first=Clayton|title=Here are the new albums you should know about this week|url=https://www.avclub.com/here-are-the-new-albums-you-should-know-about-this-week-1821270025|website=The A.V. Club|accessdate=December 27, 2017|date= December 22, 2017}}

| rev3 = Clash

| rev3score = 9/10{{cite web|last=Rosebury|first=Will|title=Brockhampton – Saturation III|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/brockhampton-saturation-iii|website=Clash Music|accessdate=December 23, 2017|date= December 22, 2017}}

| rev4 = Consequence of Sound

| rev4score = B+{{cite web|last=Weiss|first=Dan|title=khampton – Saturation III|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/12/album-review-brockhampton-saturation-iii/|website=Consequence of Sound|accessdate=December 23, 2017|date= December 22, 2017}}

| rev5 = HipHopDX

| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Blackwell|first=Marcus|url=https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.3055/title.review-brockhamptons-saturation-iii-is-their-strongest-project-yet|title=Review: Brockhampton's "Saturation III" Is Their Strongest Project Yet|website=HipHopDX|date=December 20, 2017|accessdate=December 22, 2017}}

| rev6 = HotNewHipHop

| rev6score = 75%{{cite web|last=Lyons|first=Patrick|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/brockhamptons-saturation-iii-review-news.41135.html|title=Brockhampton's "SATURATION III" Review|website=HotNewHipHop|date=December 21, 2017|accessdate=December 22, 2017}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7score = 7.5/10{{cite web|last=Pearce|first=Sheldon|title=BROCKHAMPTON: Saturation III Album Review|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/brockhampton-saturation-iii/|website=Pitchfork|date=December 15, 2017|accessdate=December 22, 2017}}

| rev8 = theneedledrop

| rev8score = 8/10{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL0YnMbzmow|title = Brockhampton - Saturation III ALBUM REVIEW|website = YouTube| date=15 December 2017 }}

| rev9 = The 405

| rev9score = 8/10{{cite web|last=Michalik|first=Timothy|url=https://www.thefourohfive.com/music/review/review-brockhampton-arrive-in-their-purest-form-on-saturation-iii-151|title=Review: BROCKHAMPTON arrive in their purest form on SATURATION III|work=The 405|date=December 15, 2017|accessdate=December 22, 2017}}

}}

Saturation III has received widespread acclaim from critics, with many citing it as the strongest in the Saturation trilogy. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album has an average score of 82 based on 10 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". For The Boston Globe, Isaac Feldberg praised "the sense that Brockhampton’s creative energies thrive most when every member’s strengths, and stories, are being utilized", stating that the album "is entirely of a piece with its two predecessors; the disc exudes confidence on every front, though the group’s ambitions seem scaled up to world domination."{{cite web|last=Feldberg|first=Isaac|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2017/12/13/the-boy-wonders-brockhampton/FdOR9w7X1qvwMNpYewpGJP/story.html|title= The boy wonders of Brockhampton|work=The Boston Globe|date=December 14, 2017|accessdate=December 22, 2017}}

HipHopDX's Marcus Blackwell described the album as "their strongest project yet", with Timothy Michalik of The 405 also describing it as "their smartest album to date", concluding that "this run of SATURATION albums have turned out to be among 2017’s finest musical achievements". He also said that the album is "the ultimate victory lap for a group who have stayed busier in the studio than some artists do in their entire career." For Pitchfork, Sheldon Pearce wrote that "it's on their third album of the year that rap crew BROCKHAMPTON's whole gestalt comes into focus", praising the album's "memorable performances" and the "fascinatingly unorthodox compositions servicing them."

Veronica Irwin for The Quietus described the album as "their most abstract, their most experimental, and by far their weirdest", stating that "at first listen it's incredibly off putting", but concluded that "in the span of their 3-album-in-a-year discography it fills the hole where something totally new and experimental needed to be."{{cite web|last=Irwin|first=Veronica|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/23793-brockhampton-saturation-iii-review|title=Brockhampton|work=The Quietus|date=December 20, 2017|accessdate=December 22, 2017}}

For HotNewHipHop, Patrick Lyons praised the album's "beat change-ups and multi-genre excursions," however criticised the group's "thematic repetition and loss of stylistic grounding", concluding that "this trilogy is good-to-great, but I think its lasting legacy could be that of a breeding ground for solo stars who are still finding their own footing." Clayton Purdom of The A.V. Club wrote that "like its predecessors, the album is hit or miss, but the batting average remains uncommonly high for a project like this", concluding that "if it seems like there’s nothing these guys can’t do, it’s because there's nothing they're not willing to try." Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung stated that the album "entertains as much as its two predecessors" and called the Saturation trilogy overall "a fun, thoughtful, and unexpected experience from a group of highly creative young musicians."

Saturation III debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 with 36,418 album-equivalent units, of which 24,935 were pure sales.{{Cite news|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.45549/title.hip-hop-album-sales-eminems-revival-dominates-billboard-200#|title=Hip Hop Album Sales: Eminem's "Revival" Dominates Billboard 200|work=HipHopDX|accessdate=December 26, 2017}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Saturation III track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title_width = 25%

| writing_width = 40%

| total_length = 46:17

| title1 = Boogie

| writer1 = {{hlist|Ian Simpson|Ameer Vann|Matt Champion|Russell Boring|William Wood|Dominique Simpson}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Romil Hemnani|Jabari Manwa{{ref|b|[b]}}}}

| length1 = 3:13

| title2 = Zipper

| writer2 = {{hlist|Boring|D. Simpson|I. Simpson|Champion|Wood}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Manwa|Hemnani{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length2 = 3:22

| title3 = Johnny

| writer3 = {{hlist|I. Simpson|D. Simpson|Vann|Champion|Boring}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Hemnani|Manwa{{ref|b|[b]}}|Kiko Merley{{ref|c|[c]}}}}

| length3 = 4:11

| title4 = Liquid

| writer4 = {{hlist|Vann|D. Simpson|I. Simpson|Wood|Champion}}

| extra4 = Manwa

| length4 = 1:22

| title5 = Cinema 1

| writer5 = {{hlist|I. Simpson|Robert Ontenient}}

| extra5 = Hemnani

| length5 = 0:45

| title6 = Stupid

| writer6 = {{hlist|Wood|Vann|Champion|I. Simpson|D. Simpson}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|Hemnani|Q3 (Manwa|Kiko Merley)}}

| length6 = 3:36

| title7 = Bleach

| writer7 = {{hlist|I. Simpson|Champion|Wood|Vann|D. Simpson|Boring|Ryan Beatty|Ciarán McDonald}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|Hemnani|Manwa}}

| length7 = 4:33

| title8 = Alaska

| writer8 = {{hlist|Vann|I. Simpson|Boring|Champion}}

| extra8 = {{hlist|Hemnani|Bearface{{ref|b|[b]}}}}

| length8 = 3:19

| title9 = Hottie

| writer9 = {{hlist|I. Simpson|D. Simpson|Boring|Wood|Champion}}

| extra9 = Manwa

| length9 = 3:17

| title10 = Cinema 2

| writer10 = {{hlist|I. Simpson|Ontenient}}

| extra10 = Hemnani

| length10 = 0:38

| title11 = Sister/Nation

| writer11 = {{hlist|Wood|Boring|I. Simpson|Champion|D. Simpson}}{{hlist|I. Simpson|Vann|D. Simpson|Wood}}

| extra11 = Hemnani

| length11 = 6:04

| title12 = Rental

| writer12 = {{hlist|I. Simpson|D. Simpson|Champion}}

| extra12 = {{hlist|Hemnani|Q3}}

| length12 = 3:33

| title13 = Stains

| writer13 = {{hlist|Vann|Ashlan Grey|Champion|D. Simpson|Boring}}

| extra13 = {{hlist|Hemnani|Manwa}}

| length13 = 3:00

| title14 = Cinema 3

| writer14 = {{hlist|I. Simpson|Ontenient}}

| extra14 = Hemnani

| length14 = 0:51

| title15 = Team

| writer15 = {{hlist|McDonald|I. Simpson|Vann|D. Simpson|Champion}}

| extra15 = {{hlist|Bearface|Hemnani{{ref|b|[b]}}|Joba{{ref|b|[b]}}}}

| length15 = 4:33

}}

Notes

• {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies a co-producer.
• {{sup|{{note|b|[b]}}}} signifies an additional producer.
• {{sup|{{note|c|[c]}}}} signifies an additional drum programmer.
• All tracks stylized in all caps. For example, "Boogie" is stylized as "BOOGIE".
• "Zipper" contains a sample of "Cha Cha Cha!" by Optigan
• "Hottie" contains a sample of "KissKiss" by Parov Stela
• "Johnny" contains a sample of "Navi 'Listen'" by Kaori Mizuhashi
• "Alaska" contains a sample of "Ignorant" by Whipped Cream
• "Team" contains a sample of "Heat" by Brockhampton, which itself samples "Flowing Like a Snake in Ophiuchus' Arms" by Clap! Clap!

Brockhampton

{{div col}}

• Kevin Abstract – performance (tracks 1–4, 6–9, 11, 12, 15), executive production, creative direction
• Matt Champion – performance (tracks 1–4, 6–9, 11–13, 15), additional vocals (track 4)
• Joba – performance (tracks 1–4, 6–9, 11, 13), additional production (track 15), vocals (track 13), additional vocals (tracks 4, 6, 12, 15), co-executive production, mixing, mastering
• Ameer Vann – performance (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6–8, 11, 13, 15)
• Dom McLennon – performance (tracks 1–4, 6, 7, 9, 11–13, 15)
• Merlyn Wood – performance (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11)
• Bearface – performance (tracks 7, 15), production (track 15), additional production (track 8)
• Romil Hemnani – production (tracks 1, 3, 5–8, 10–14), co-production (track 2), additional production (track 15), co-executive production, recording engineering
• Q3 – production (tracks 6, 12)
• Jabari Manwa – production (tracks 2, 4, 7, 9, 13), additional production (tracks 1, 3)
• Kiko Merley – additional drum programming (track 3)
• Henock "HK" Sileshi – creative direction, graphic design
• Ashlan Grey – photography, performance (track 13)
• Robert Ontenient – webmastering, performance (tracks 5, 10, 11, 14)

{{div col end}}

Additional personnel

• Ryan Beatty – performance (track 7)
• Nick Lenzini – creative assistance
• Kevin Doan – creative assistance

{{reflist}}

{{Brockhampton}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2017 albums

Category:Brockhampton (band) albums

Category:Empire Distribution albums

Category:Sequel albums

Category:Albums produced by Romil Hemnani