boylife's first album release is a vulnerable vignette on life
By Adora Brown
boylife captures his various life experiences in his first album release, gelato. The artist, also known as Ryan Yoo, illustrates his childhood of depression, bipolar disorder, the toxic masculinity associated with growing up Asian-American, and more in this 12-track treat. gelato is a naked response to the pains of growing up and the harsh realizations that accompany them.
Yoo is the lead vocalist for two bands, mmmonika and Common Souls. mmmonika has popular releases such as “see me on the outside!” and “Don’t Do It.” He has been featured with other groups such as BROCKHAMPTON, whose artist bearface returned the favor, appearing on “dio.” Yoo found recent success in his solo career with single releases “lush” and “amphetamines.” This prompted the release of gelato, an honest narrative on growing up in Los Angeles as a child of immigrants.
Yoo tells The Line of Best Fit, “I like that gelato melts and you have to enjoy it while it still holds a shape. I tried to catch the moments at the center of each song the same way, gentle but knowing it's only here for a little bit.” He continues, “All the things I needed to say are on here. Just in case I die young.”
He describes his first solo album as a “self-portrait,” and his listeners can sense how raw and real the pieces are. On “bummy,” Yoo raps for the first time on a released song. Every song feels different and experimental, yet calculated at the same time. Yoo is willing to push the boundaries of a typical album by including various genres in one cohesive piece. “amphetamines” and “hoon” feature real phone calls from a friend who is supportive through Yoo’s battle with bipolar disorder, making gelato a true snapshot of Yoo’s life.
Each aspect of gelato is a peek inside the life and mind of Yoo, who is “Young and colored in America.” The song “superpretty” is a self-love anthem about growing up Asian-American, and loving himself amidst the prejudice he faced. “church,” the second song on the album, is a bold piece tackling the religious trauma that comes with growing up in the church – false promises, missing gods, and the hypocrisy of the suffering he saw around him. Yoo tackles love in his own unique way on “lush,” illustrating that vulnerability is at the core of masculinity.
As his first solo album, Yoo made this his most personal work yet. gelato functions as an honest exposé of the challenges many people face – religious trauma, prejudice, mental illness, gender identity, and even self-love. Together, gelato pieces together an honest vignette on growing up.