TRIPPERJONES.AI SERVES UP A CHAOTIC FEAST WITH EIGHT COURSE TASTING MENU
tripperjones.ai has never been one to play it safe, and his new record, Eight Course Tasting Menu, makes that clear from the start. Built with the help of AI, the album feels less like a neatly prepared meal and more like a wild feast, messy in places, surprising in others, and always delivered with raw energy. Over nine tracks, tripperjones.ai moves from lo-fi grit to psychedelic haze to moments of real intimacy, sometimes all in the span of a single song. It is not a polished listen, and it is not meant to be. Instead, it asks the listener to sit with the chaos, take it in piece by piece, and decide what sticks. Let’s dig in:
“Backseat” is the first real punch of the album, with singer jimjones3 firing on all cylinders. Rap verses crash into distorted guitars, giving the track the raw urgency of Jason Butler fronting Fever 333 or Letlive. It’s sweaty, crude, and unrelenting; the bass drives hard, the drums hit anthem-level intensity, and the whole thing rips with chaotic force. The only drawback is a lack of melody to balance the aggression, and the song’s abrupt fade-out feels like a sentence cut short. Still, the rough edges only add to its reckless energy, making “Backseat” a standout early moment.
“Echoses in the Dark Night” lands at track three, and right away, it raises some questions with its shaky, cluttered intro. But once it settles in, the groove takes over and wipes the slate clean. The song locks into a swaggering rhythm, carried by loud, full-bodied guitar lines and bass notes that throb with purpose. It’s lo-fi in its sonic texture, but that rawness works here, giving the track a gritty charm that’s impossible to ignore. By the halfway point, the vocal arrangements step up in a big way, layered, chilling, and unexpectedly powerful. It’s the kind of moment that elevates the song from “good” to a clear standout. The only drawback is the production, which feels a bit undercooked compared to the strength of the performance. Still, flaws aside, this is easily the winner of the album so far.
“Come Dance” finds tripperjones.ai leaning hard into their lo-fi obsession, though at first it almost feels like your speakers might have blown out. The haze works in his favor, though, and the track quickly comes across as one of the more decisive moments on the record. It carries the dreamy psychedelic shimmer of Tame Impala mixed with the grit and swagger of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The drums crash with heavy weight and drive the song forward while the guitar bursts through the mix, loud and unapologetic, taking over everything around it. The structure is loose and plays more like one long chorus than a typical verse and refrain. That constant swirl can be disorienting at first, but it also pulls the listener in, making it easy to get lost in the repetition and groove. Lo-fi flaws aside, “Come Dance” works. It is bold, trippy, and addictive enough to keep you coming back for another listen.
“A Strong Bull With A Horse” stands out with a cleaner mix than the earlier tracks, which feels like a breath of fresh air. It takes its time, riding on instrumentals for nearly a minute before the vocals drop in, setting up a steady, deliberate mood. There’s a playful twang woven through the song, and the lyrics paint sharp, colorful pictures that feel more vivid than anything else so far. The mix could still use some tightening, but the rough edges give it a certain charm. By the end, it’s easy to imagine a cigarette in one hand and a whiskey in the other… the track practically demands it.
“Crystals in the Sand” arrives as track six on Eight Course Tasting Menu and immediately shifts the mood. The song opens mellow and unhurried, the kind of laid-back entrance that makes you lean in closer. The guitar tone is nothing short of delicious—chords ring out with precision, drenched in effects that feel carefully chosen rather than thrown on for texture. When the rhythm section finally joins, the moment feels almost ceremonial. The drums lock in with a steady pulse, the bass wraps around them, and suddenly everything clicks into place; holy matrimony, indeed. The result is a track that balances hazy psychedelia with a touch of Laurel Canyon nostalgia, evoking a warmth that feels timeless and enduring. This is easily the top track on the album.
“JAILBAIT” finds jimjones3 asking questions on a massive, almost existential scale. The refrain “let’s dream of a reality” repeats like a mantra, hinting at the possibility that the world we’re living in isn’t the right one, or at least not the one we want. The repetition gives the track a hypnotic pull, drawing the listener deeper into its strange, questioning atmosphere. The instrumentation helps carry that mood. Soothing horns drift in and out, softening the edges and adding an almost dreamlike quality. jimjones3 vocals here are some of his most compelling—fragile yet earnest, leaning into intimacy instead of power. It’s a different side of him, and it works. By the end, the track shifts into unexpected territory, with clapping layered over the music and a loose, trippy energy that feels like it could spin off into a psychedelic jam. It doesn’t just fade away; it unravels, leaving you unsure whether you’ve reached an ending or slipped into another headspace entirely. It’s another strong example of tripperjones.ai’s knack for crafting moments that feel both vulnerable and experimental, further proof of his range as a songwriter.
“Monk Akka + The Energy” comes in as the second-to-last track on Eight Course Tasting Menu and offers a calm, reflective shift. Blending low-key rock textures with tripperjones.ai’s trademark sound, it unfolds like a deep exhale, letting the listener sink into a more meditative state. Warm guitar tones ripple across the mix while the rhythm section holds steady, creating the sensation of being washed over by sound. Tripper’s vocals guide gently rather than demand attention, adding to the track’s soothing pull. It’s the kind of song made for wandering through a park, tracing the edge of a lake, or sinking into a lounge chair with the late afternoon sun pouring in. As the album nears its close, “Monk Akka + The Energy” stands out as a moment of calm assurance, proving tripperjones.ai doesn’t need volume or chaos to make an impact.
“Mignardise” closes the album on a strange, unsettling note. Disjointed and chaotic, it feels less like a finished song and more like an experiment with effects gone off the rails. Maybe that was the intention—to end with unease rather than resolution. For some, it will be an intriguing curveball; for others, it will sound like the wheels falling off. Either way, it leaves the record unsettled, and maybe that’s exactly how tripperjones.ai wanted it.
As a whole, Eight Course Tasting Menu is unpredictable, restless, and often rough around the edges, but it is also bold and full of moments that stick with you. Tripperjones.ai leans hard into lo-fi textures and is not afraid to let things get messy, moving between psychedelic grooves, raw bursts of energy, and flashes of intimacy. Not every idea works, and some tracks feel like sketches more than finished songs, but even when it stumbles, the record has a pulse that keeps it alive.
What makes it worth hearing is tripperjones.ai’s willingness to take risks and commit fully to whatever sound is being chased in that moment. When it connects, like on “Crystals in the Sand,” “Echoses in the Dark Night,” or “JAILBAIT,” the music feels striking and immediate; when it misses, it is still interesting enough to hold your attention.
Eight Course Tasting Menu is not an album about polish or perfection. It is about appetite, about throwing different flavors at the wall and seeing which ones leave a taste behind. Some songs hit, some confuse, and some unsettle. By the end, you are left with an experience that lingers—one made even more unusual by the fact that it was created with AI. Maybe that was the point all along: to show how messy, strange, and human music can still feel, even when machine and artist share the process.