Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ doesn’t feel so much like a carefully-delineated journey as it does an expansive look at Cudi’s current state of being. Unlike those albums though, the decision mostly seems like fan service here. One thing longtime fans noticed right away was Cudi’s return to the five-act structure that defined his Man on the Moon albums. The project wouldn’t have lost much by cutting repetitive tracks like “Swim in the Light” or “Mature Nature,” which mostly consist of a small set of repeated phrases turned into five-minute songs. Cudi is known for lengthy albums, but there’s not enough variety here to support the heft. Tracks like “Releaser” feel too aimless, never really getting anywhere despite being stretched out over more than five minutes. At 19 tracks the album drags, especially towards the end. Of course, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ is far from perfect. These moments show Cudi at the top of his game, and can stand amongst the top songs in his catalog. Another standout is “ILLusions,” which could fit comfortably at the quiet, self-reflective end of Man on the Moon II. “Rose Golden” feels like it should be played around a campfire, casting Willow and Cudi as misunderstood cosmic chosen ones. “By Design,” in particular, shines, with Cudi and Andre rapping and singing over successful steel drum instrumentation. The album’s crowning achievements come with a pair of collaborations he links up with Andre 3000 on “By Design” and Willow Smith on “Rose Golden.” Both songs are fantastic. Early singles “All In” and “The Frequency” are also heavy on warbling, but deliver on the lyrics. “Kitchen” is a great example, with Cudi’s echoey hook of “Punch drunk love annoyed” anchoring the song. On Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ he manages to strike the right balance more often than not. These are all much-loved features of Cudi’s music, and yet we’ve seen in the past that too much of them can make his work feel hollow. Of course this is still a Kid Cudi album, and all the bars are mixed in with a healthy dose of his singing, humming, and moaning.
Rap-heavy songs like “Does It” and “Baptized in Fire,” with Travis Scott, stand out immediately, and allow Cudi to deliver his emotionally-charged thoughts in a way that feels not just coherent, but cutting. This new album works because Kid Cudi is rapping again, something he hasn’t done at length since 2013. In a year that saw him deal very publicly with personal demons, delivering an album that finally recaptures some of the excitement and magic of his music feels like a fitting, victorious end. Thankfully, on Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, Cudi manages to find his sound again. A longtime Kid Cudi fan will still find redeemable moments buried in these projects, but it’s become increasingly difficult to defend them as a whole. Since then, he’s released projects that have ranged from meh ( Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon), to yikes ( Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven).
His last album that was truly enjoyable from start to finish was 2013’s Indicud. Listening to new Kid Cudi albums has lately become an exercise in lowering expectations.
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