MEMORIES DON'T DIE

“Lotta rap and R&B n*ggas popped off my sound,” Tory Lanez gnashes on “Old Friends x New Foes.” It’s a bold declaration, but it’s not without merit: The singer helped originate the style of layering breathy vocals over fully recognizable loops of older R&B hits. But it’s a style he’s all but abandoned on MEMORIES DON’T DIE. The samples are few and far between and Lanez's personas oscillate between lovelorn lothario and cold vigilante as he reminds early doubters of their folly—in between dedicated serenades. “4 Me” is off-kilter pop-R&B, while “Benevolent” is a lyrical exercise the likes of an old DJ Clue mixtape—two ends of a spectrum that Lanez traverses completely here.