If there’s an artist whose lack of conviction has kept them from exploring, Kid Bookie is not it. In fact, there aren’t many who’d be less allowing of roadblocks than him. He’s got a confidence in ability that, even if the music hasn’t always matched up, is such a significant asset to have. That was certainly true of the first Cheaper Than Therapy in 2021, which wasn’t all that great but felt like the product of an artist for whom conceding is never an option.
It’s sequel, then, immediately has the benefit of a half-decade’s more experience, where Bookie’s hip-hop / modern rock concoctions have only been further hewn in style and ambition. That removes a lot of problems right off the bat; there’s more focus at play here. But even that mightn’t do justice to how many times Bookie swings for the fences here, and with how much force. It’s admirable, and the ‘dare to try’ mentality always seems to come back around in his favour.
That’s typified by (or, really, entirely the result of) the bevy of guest features, which doesn’t require some intense analysis to deduce. Quite which directions someone’s cultural cachet goes in to have both Corey Taylor and former EastEnders star Shona McGarty on their album is a mystery. It’ll probably never happen again, though, which is a mark in Bookie’s favour. There’s a lot of that on Cheaper Than Therapy II, just as on its predecessor—if the opportunity arises, no matter how outlandish, why not take it? No doubt that’s what brought actor Rose McGowan onto her eponymous track, elevated in its themes of defiance by having a prominent activist’s voice deliver them.
Admittedly, some of these do feel propped up by spectacle and incredulity, almost entirely. Bookie and Corey Taylor have worked together a lot in the past, though getting him to rap still tends to only happen on these collaborations, no matter how iffy it can lean. McGarty, too, reads more as a “why are you here?!” inclusion than a necessary joint direction. At least Lady Leshurr’s appearance on Familiar has twofold significance, both to showcase reconnecting peers who last worked together in 2014, and to actually deliver some solid, poignant work.
The crucial takeaway, though, is how Cheaper Than Therapy II is ultimately a better body work for the decisions it takes, regardless of ‘necessity’. They all precipitate the mixtape-like feel of the album to always keep it moving, alongside Bookie’s own creative outgoingness. The common thread comes from how willing he is to bring every idea into his typical framework, aided by how diverse that is as a baseline. Straight-up hip-hop and trap-metal come as easily as one another, as do pivots into radio-rock on C.E.L.A.Y.N and R&B on Day After Day. Outside of a smaller, nasal singing voice like on Familiar that doesn’t quite convey the vulnerability it sets out to, Bookie’s versatility comes with a high bar.
Musically, too, that’s just as true. The knack for something more multifaceted than your traditional rap-rock throwback has always been in Bookie’s locker, and it’s playing as well as ever here. Even if some added guitar weight and flavour wouldn’t be something to quibble at (see Hold You Down for the prime case), they fit an alt-metal mould that BLAME and C.E.L.A.Y.N ride to decently high returns. Better still are songs like H.A.T.E and Disasterpiece, where the trap murk is wired into harsher, bleaker tones and deliveries, and easily brings about some of the album’s highlights. What’s also good is how consistently Cheaper Than Therapy II can work around production that’s hardly the grandest. It’s not cheap, either, though there’s enough on the go at any given time that even that likely wouldn’t be too much of a knock.
Overall, then, it all comes together quite nicely, in no small part due to Bookie’s own inhuman force of will. The work of an artist for whom every new release feels like a passion project, Cheaper Than Therapy II sticks its landing so emphatically. There’s not a single moment that feels tossed aside or laid down without thought; again, regardless of whether it clicks or not, the drive is second to none. It’s just handy, then, that most of the time, it does click. Bookie’s field is only getting wider, his methods of navigating it more inventive, and the outcome more solid.
For fans of: Scarlxrd, Slipknot, Hacktivist
‘Cheaper Than Therapy II’ by Kid Bookie is released on 9th October on FLG Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
