Atmosphere’s newest project, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, has a different sound than their previous LP’s. The storytelling lyrics are similar to what we have heard before from Slug, but the production from Ant is what gives this Atmosphere album a twist. Through the fifteen tracks on When Life…, Ant proves to his listeners how versatile he is behind the boards. The refreshing beats from Ant compliment Slug’s narratives nicely, resulting in a steady and cohesive album from beginning to end.

The trouble here is sometimes steadiness and cohesiveness isn’t enough. When Life… is another successful collaboration from the two, yet, somehow, Atmosphere fails to impact me in such a way as they often do with other listeners. A huge factor in how I determine a record’s rating is contemplating if it will withstand the test of time and consistently provide its listener with a fresh sound. Although I find all of their work to be enjoyable and entertaining, I never have the desire to play their albums months down the line. After the release date I feel satisfied by a few listens because, in my mind, there isn’t much replay value. Since God Loves Ugly, all Atmosphere records have seemed to go stale on me. This is the reasoning why When Life… only ranks in at a score of 7.0 out of 10.

I have two problems with this album. First, I usually like to elaborate on the standout tracks, but, in the case of When Life…, there are no standouts. Every track is good. Just, good. All of the songs play well together on the album but do so without ever making me want to go back and repeat any single track, or for that matter, the album in its entirety. This problem mirrors my second issue. Perhaps it may be a bit of an overstatement, but I feel that most new lyrics penned by Slug are merely recreations of things he has already said. Reflecting new songs against past Atmosphere records sometimes leads me to believe I have heard it all before. In the end it seems like a lot of the same to me, making When Life… just like any other Atmosphere LP, even with a new sound from Ant. Despite my indifference towards the album, it certainly is not bad and should serve as a nice treat for any Atmosphere fan.

Beats: 4.0

Lyrics: 3.0

Life: 3.5

-Lee Reed