Don Toliver, an American rapper and songwriter from Houston, Texas, released his fifth studio album, OCTANE, on January 30th. The highly anticipated album consisted of 18 songs with special features from artists like Travis Scott, Yeat, and Teezo Touchdown. OCTANE quickly became Toliver’s biggest release gaining over 32.8 million streams in the first 24 hours and 166.4 million streams in its first week. Overall, the response from fans has been very high and the album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Toliver’s first time to hit such a ranking.
It has been over a year and a half since Don Toliver’s last album, HARDSTONE PSYCHO, which made the release of OCTANE more exciting. I listened to the album and picked out some of my favorites, least favorites, and a few in between to listen to a few times and fully form my thoughts and opinions to see what the excitement was all about.
E85 – 8/10
“E85” is the opening track on OCTANE, and it fully deserves that spot. The song opens with an effective, attention-grabbing intro that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Toliver’s unexpected sample of Malcolm Todd’s “Chest Pain (I Love)” was another interesting touch to the song that I think brought it all together. Don Toliver performed “E85” and “Long Way To Calabasas” on The Tonight Show which built even more anticipation and excitement ahead of the album’s release and ultimately lead to “E85” becoming one of my top favorites on OCTANE.
Body – 7/10
Don Toliver really leans into the catchy, high-energy vibes in this song. The beat is so addicting and motivating which makes it the perfect song to listen to when doing something active like running or lifting. It’s not super deep or serious, but it really doesn’t need to be. It’s just a fun, hype song that does exactly what I want it to do: motivate me, keep my energy up, and make me want to start it over as soon as it ends.
Rendezvous (ft. Yeat) – 10/10
“Rendezvous” is without a doubt one of my favorites on the album. The song is structured very well and Yeat’s feature really ties it all together. I like how Yeat opens the song and I like how his lyrics and the beat eventually build to Toliver’s part. I can listen to it start to finish over and over and still enjoy it every single time. “Rendezvous” didn’t immediately stick out to me, but after going through the album a few times, it quickly climbed my list and earned a 10/10 from me.
Long Way To Calabasas – 5/10
“Long Way To Calabasas” really didn’t do it for me. It starts off pretty slow and dull and never really recovered itself which made it hard for me to get into. It isn’t terrible, Toliver’s vocals are smooth as always, but it just doesn’t stand out compared to the other tracks. The melody is pretty forgettable and overall it wasn’t one that I could see myself really listening to in the future.
All The Signs (ft. Teezo Touchdown) – 6/10
This one starts off okay and slightly improves throughout the song. I do think it goes on too long but not so long that I feel like I have to turn it off. I really like the transition from “Rosary” to “All The Signs.” It’s very seamless and it feels like it’s all one song. I’m not a big fan of Teezo Touchdown’s verse, but it doesn’t ruin the song. “All The Signs” has an interesting melody and the electronic sounds in the background are pretty cool. I think it definitely deserves a spot on OCTANE but I highly doubt this is anyone’s favorite song.
Call Back – 10/10
Listening to a few mid songs in a row makes “Call Back” sound even better than it already is by itself. I love everything about this song: the vibe, the beat, Toliver’s voice, everything. The last three tracks were more chill and relaxed but I like how Toliver uses this song to put us back in the high-energy, motivated mood. Something about the first verse, “We back, oh, back, so back, I had to show, she came back to back, ay I’m on the road” makes me replay that specific part over and over. It has to get a 10/10 just for that part. Overall, I am definitely a big fan this one and I would highly recommend it even to someone who isn’t a big Don Toliver fan.
Excavator – 10/10
Similar to “Call Back,” “Excavator” sets the mood back to hype, upbeat, and catchy. I really like how the song switches right around the 2:15 minute mark, I thought that added another unique layer to the song. I like the line “Yeah, I’m drunk but I ain’t driving” for some reason, it’s just a funny addition Toliver included in the song that I enjoyed. It’s another motivating song, I like listening to it at the gym or whenever I’m doing something active. I would say the high-energy songs on this album are definitely my favorites so “Excavator” without a doubt gets a 10/10.
Sweet Home – 11/10
“Sweet Home” immediately stood out to me on this album. From the very first play, I knew it was something special. Since the album’s release, I have listened to it 81 times (or so I’ve been told by my Spotify listening stats) and I am still in love with it. It’s not only the perfect closing track, but it’s also incredible as its own individual song. The line “I’ll be right here to call when the whole world ends” was absolutely perfect. The melody, the lyrics, and Toliver’s voice in that line really stood out to me. Hearing Don Toliver’s voice in “Sweet Home” feels like the end of an era which makes this song even more special to me with graduation coming up in the next few months. I could talk about this song forever, and a 10/10 doesn’t feel like enough, so it gets an 11/10 in my book.
Overall, OCTANE definitely met my expectations and even went above and beyond for some of them. The entirety of the album, including the songs I didn’t mention in this article, would get a solid 9/10 from me. It’s the perfect mix of chill and upbeat that I always look for in an album. If you haven’t already, give Don Toliver’s OCTANE a listen and decide for yourself what you think about the album.
