Don Toliver’s fifth studio album, OCTANE, is a detailed 49 minute journey that balances high speed energy with a looming sense of emotional obliviousness. The project starts with the heavy hitting “E85” designed to shock the listener with a production that is meant to feel it’s melting one’s brain. It serves as a bold and punchy introduction where Toliver uses a beautiful Malcom Todd sample to showcase a style that is both unforgettable and already different from other works by Toliver . This intensity carries into “Body,” which cleverly uses a Justin Timberlake sample into a dark anthem about protectiveness. The track’s vibe is defined by a mix of romance and punchy bass forward production, where Toliver showcases his diversity.
The sound landscape shifts into more melancholic territory with “Secondhand,” a collaboration with Rema that features a very smooth hook highlighting both of the artist’s voices perfectly. It is one of the album’s more introspective moments, exploring the pain of letting someone go, even though that vulnerability is often distracted by mentions of living in a world of luxury and distraction. Rema’s feature on this song perfectly complements the production and Toliver’s incredible vocal performance, making for the best feature on the album. In contrast, “Tiramisu” is a song based on pure luxury and smoothness, sounding like a luxury car speeding through a rainy night. Don sounds remarkably smooth here, alternating between a sharp, rhythmic flow and a polished hook that fits almost any setting.
The energy turns more frantic on “ATM,” a bass-focused track that captures the addicting, compulsive vibe of late-night spending. The production is aggressive and punchy, forcing Don to use every vocal trick in his arsenal to keep up with a beat that hits incredibly hard. This theme of material obsession blends with nostalgia on “Rosary,” where Travis Scott joins Don for a modern take on early-2000s R&B. They harmonize perfectly over a classic-sounding vocal sample that plays to both of the artist’s strengths while remaining a very chill track.
Toward the latter half of the record, “Call Back” puts Toliver’s technical precision on full display, showing his ability to find tiny “pockets” within a beat to drop an infectious, radio-friendly melody. Toliver treats his voice like a piece of equipment, constantly adjusting his delivery to maintain a high-energy flow. The album finally reaches a moment of true clarity with one of Toliver’s most emphatic and powerful closers to date, “Sweet Home”. This track serves as a landmark for Toliver, offering a rare glimpse into his personal life as he admits that he hasn’t given his relationship the time it deserves.
OCTANE is a high-speed triumph that cements Don Toliver as one of the most innovative and fearless voices in modern music. By blending intergalactic, space-age textures with soulful R&B and heavy bass, he has created a project that feels both atmospheric and incredibly polished production wise, something that has sometimes lacked in other projects of his. This is why I rate OCTANE 8.9/10.
