“Surf Gang, baby!” Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE’s POMPEII // UTILITY Shows a New Style For the Artists

(Album Logo via pompeiiutility.com)

On April 3, 2026, rappers Earl Sweatshirt (real name Thebe Kgositsile) and MIKE released their collaborative double album POMPEII // UTILITY with New York hip-hop collective SURF GANG. Here’s what one VIRIDIAN News Staff member had to say about it.
by Beckett DeWitt

​I want to start off by saying that the structure of this album is very similar to Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, with both discs of this double album acting as each rapper’s own separate album, so I will be judging them as two different albums unless said otherwise. That being said, this 2LP is my introduction to the plugg and ambient trap genres. While SURF GANG’s production can be spotty, and I did have mixed feelings about it throughout both albums, it still hit just right on the right songs. For example, the beat for “Home on the Range” on UTILITY was amazing, and is one of my favorite songs on both albums, but the beat for “AFRO” on POMPEII had these erratic drums, and not erratic in a good way, instead in a way that felt very unfitting.

The rapping style that Earl and MIKE use over these beats is very deadpan and relaxed, a signature for both of them, and fits the murky, ambient aesthetic of the album. “Relaxed” is probably the best way I could describe this album. Short, sweet songs, with every one of them (with the exception of “AOK”) being under three minutes, featuring slow, smooth flows over atmospheric beats. It’s the music you’d want to play if you’re tired and just want to chill.

Some of my favorite songs were actually the singles put out before the release of the album. “Home on the Range,” “Back Home,” and “Earth,” to be specific, even after listening to the whole album, remain as some of my favorite tracks that I find myself looping as I walk through the halls at school or when I’m relaxing at home.

Another thing I’d like to mention is the writing. A lot of Earl’s early work is filled with depressing and deep lyricism. However, over time, Earl’s writing has lightened as he grew older, with more recent projects like VOIR DIRE and Live Laugh Love showing a more optimistic attitude from the rapper. The opening lines to UTILITY show more examples of this. “this2shallpass” opens with Earl saying, “Before we start, let's get one thing re-established / It's only up, up, that's the destination, man.” It makes me happy when I see this new era for Earl.

It’s obvious that these two albums were made with the same idea in mind. That being said, I liked UTILITY more than POMPEII. This may be slightly biased, as I’m much more acquainted with Earl’s music than MIKE’s, but Earl’s rapping felt so much cleaner, had beats that I liked better, and didn’t have as many features. Not that there’s anything wrong with having features; I just wasn’t a fan of most of the features on the album.

All in all, both albums were great, and when put together, POMPEII // UTILITY is one of my favorite albums of this year so far. Rated separately, POMPEII is a 7/10, and UTILITY is a 9/10. Together, the full double album is an 8/10.

POMPEII // UTILITY is available for listening on all streaming platforms.