Earl Sweatshirt Fits a Lifetime Into One Verse on ‘Nowhere2go’

Earl Sweatshirt‘s “Nowhere2go” is succinct. One taut verse, a little under two minutes, then it’s over. In that small window of time, Earl details dealing with depression — but really, it’s a collection of short stories crammed together.

There are pockets of friends on top of locations next to shifts in times. It feels emotionally mundane, mirroring the consistent hum of life, instead of the peaks and valleys most rap songs concern themselves with. Earl’s expressionless voice glides over the glitchy Booliemane and Adé Hakim production, spitting candid lines like, “Yeah I think, I spent most of my life depressed / Only thing on my mind was death / Didn’t know if my time was next.” There are no resolutions presented on “Nowhere2go,” but small reprieves. Earl raps about redefining himself, letting his wit carry him through his struggle and finding solace in the people around him.

The end result is unassuming, but  inspirational. Announcing the track on Twitter, Earl was ecstatic. “TO SAY IM EXCITED TO B GIVING YALL MUSIC IS BIG UNDERSTATEMENT. THIS YEAR BEEN THE ROUGHEST OF MY LIFE, BUT HERE WE ARE,” he wrote. It’s been three years since I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside and “Nowhere2go” finds Earl re-inserting himself into the musical landscape after the January passing of his father, Keorapetse Kgositsile, and the death of his close friend and collaborator, Mac Miller, in September.

It only took one verse to sum up a year(s). There’s beauty in that.