LA-based internet rapper and producer 2hollis, has been making worldwide noise over the last few months. You may be familiar with him from his virality on TikTok and his feature in The Face Magazine, or perhaps you caught his Laneway Festival performance in February of 2025. Regardless, whether you’re a diehard fan or someone who’s only heard ‘jeans’, 2hollis is busy cementing himself as an icon and innovator within this era’s EDM scene.
On April 4th, he released his fourth studio album star, a 15-track concept album filled to the brim with dance music and “festival-ready beats”. In a series of now-deleted tweets, 2hollis explained the emotional weight surrounding the project, stating: “i made this entire project in my childhood home. it burned to the floor in the LA fires. the only thing to survive was “The star” [Tarot Card]. my mother had it framed.. i knew it was destiny. “burn” was one of the last songs finished… the next day we had to evacuate..”
In the same set of tweets, he continued with “this project is a collection of feelings and meanings .. a diary of sorts.. From someone chasing such a strange thing.. stardom”. That sentiment can be seen intertwined throughout star’s entirety, especially in that of ‘tell me’ and ‘eldest child’; Two tracks that aggressively contrast each other sonically, but complement thematically, giving this vulnerable perspective on life on the rise to, and the peak of stardom.
We’ve seen a lot more of these ‘sensitive club-classics’ within the recent year, with artists masking their fears behind a catchy beat and autotune- think Charli xcx’s ‘i think about it all the time’. ‘tell me’ fits into this category, with its hollow and plunky beats supporting 2hollis’ raw lyrics of being “so sick and awake”. On the other end of the spectrum, ‘eldest child’ is closer to the traditional musical accompaniment to an emotional song, with the entire production focusing on only an acoustic guitar and 2hollis’ haunting vocals, chanting the mantra of “They don’t know me” and “It’s hard tryna to keep it up” over and over again.
[ star Album Cover ]
While star highlights 2hollis’ current mentality, the project is not completely heart-wrenching. It is dominated by synths, tempo changes, and the classic build-ups and drops we’ve grown to love about 2hollis as an artist. Once blended together, you’re left with a project that is nearly completely danceable- or ‘moshable’, considering that tends to be the movement of choice for 2hollis fans. The back-to-back of ‘nice’ and ‘nerve’ stand as the self-indulgent palette cleansers, taking a break from deeper meanings and ARG-esque monologues to give listeners a moment of carefree dancing. They stand out as the “Coachella bangers” 2hollis spoke about in a recent interview with i-D.
Although star rounds out with seven tracks with undeniable replay value, once you include ‘flash’, ‘burn’, and ‘destroy me’, 2hollis has faced immense backlash upon the release of the album. Despite his “fear of press”, the criticism for star is not coming from reviewers with sites like Pitchfork rating star a 7.4, falling only slightly behind Jane Remover and Skrillex’s projects that were released in the same week. It is instead 2hollis fans tearing the album apart, claiming that it sounds unfinished and directionless, feeling lifeless and rushed compared to his other projects. Others have gone as far as to claim star was released purely to help sustain 2hollis’ ‘15 minutes of fame’, which, based on the aforementioned tweets by 2hollis, doesn’t seem to be the case.
Whether or not those claims are true depends on the listener. For those looking for something similar to this 2024 LP boy, this project may fall flat to you in certain areas. Though no artist should ever be held to the expectations of recreating a former project, they should be allowed to experiment and create an album, EP, or even an individual song that means something to them in that moment. Sometimes, rather than tearing an album to shreds upon the first listen, you need to “JUST SHUT UP AND DANCE” instead.
Oh, and if star really wasn’t for you, then I’d keep my eye out for a second 2hollis project dropping soon.
2hollis will be hitting the California desert on Saturday, April 12th and 19th for Coachella 2025. This will be the first time songs from star will be heard live, so this is a performance you do not want to miss. If you cannot be at Coachella in person, his set will be streamed on the Gobi Stage YouTube starting at 6:30 PST.
STREAM STAR
SEE 2HOLLIS’ SUMMER FESTIVAL TOUR DATES HERE.
KEEP UP WITH 2HOLLIS
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