FRATPACKER WORLD.

R&B has been moving through a strange time warp half-frozen in mood-board minimalism, half-trapped in trap-soul fog. For the past few years, the genre has lived between playlists and nostalgia, unsure whether to chase algorithmic love or emotional truth. Then Josh Levi pulled up with HYDRAULIC, a 15-track debut that feels like a lowrider gliding through a 2001 sunset. It’s glossy, groovy, and super musical the kind of record that reminds you why R&B once ruled radio and hearts.

Before the world hit play, Levi had already made waves as a Spotify Artist to Watch and Billboard Rookie of the Month, earning co-signs that positioned him as one of R&B’s brightest new architects. Signed under Issa Rae’s Raedio imprint, Levi doesn’t just make music, he curates worlds (what else do you expect from a writer, dancer and actor). Issa’s influence is felt throughout the album’s cinematic polish. Josh states that she had notes for almost every song. She even lends her voice as the navigation system inside the “Hydraulic” car in the album trailer. Judging by how she scores her content and the sound of this album, she definitely has a great ear for music.

From the first kick, you can hear some Darkchild influence on the album; those minor-key chords, rubbery baselines, and hi-hats that dance just off the grid. It’s If You Had My Love meets Say My Name energy, but updated for Bluetooth subs and algorithmic playlists. It really takes you back to the year 2000 and expensive videos directed by Hype Williams.

Produced by London on da Track, Poo Bear, BEAM, and MNEK, HYDRAULIC feels intentional: a world built on bounce, not necessarily nostalgia (even though its still invoked ). Every track fits together like chrome and leather. It’s crafted, cohesive, and full of movement the sound of an artist who understands rhythm and blues have a bounce to them.

The title HYDRAULIC is more than a stylistic flex it’s a metaphor. Hydraulics are about motion, elevation, and control the power to rise, drop, and pivot under pressure. For Levi, that’s both sonic and emotional. The album mirrors that rhythm: the highs of confidence, the lows of heartbreak, and the tension in between.

The sequencing reflects that motion perfectly songs like “CRASH OUT” and “RODEO” surge with kinetic confidence, while “CARE 4 ME” and “HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE” slow the tempo, dipping into intimacy and doubt. The result is a project that moves like a ride through a city at dusk up, down, and always in motion, powered by feeling as much as machinery.

Levi’s voice is built for storytelling. It’s got range, restraint, and swag. On “CARE 4 ME,” he floats; on “HOLD ON,” he pleads; and on “SAY IT,” he commands. Every harmony stack feels engineered, every falsetto flip lands like punctuation. You can tell he’s a singer’s singer someone who studied the mechanics of control and the emotion behind it.

Where many R&B newcomers lean on mood and toxicity , Levi leans on craft. He treats vocals like architecture balancing tension and release, structure and soul. “I CAN’T GO OUTSIDE” plays like an internal dialogue, while “HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE” lands as closure; a final cap the journey.

From the jump, HYDRAULIC announces itself with “RODEO,” a confident ignition that hums like the start of a late-night cruise with the bass low, windows down and energy rising. Tracks like “DON’T GO” and “CARE 4 ME” balance groove with sincerity, showing Levi’s ability to modernize the slow jam without falling into autopilot. The FLO-assisted “CRASH OUT” is pure fireworks: glossy, self-assured, and ready for both R&B playlists and bedroom mirrors. Toward the end, “I CAN’T GO OUTSIDE” and “HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE” turn inward, closing the album with cinematic introspection. Together, they give the record emotional altitude. This is proof that Levi can both soar and sink gracefully within his own sound.

R&B in 2025 sits in a delicate place caught between vibe and virtuosity. On one end are the minimalists, whispering through moody trap chords; on the other are the pop-leaning crooners chasing chart formulas. Somewhere in the middle, artists like SZA, Victoria Monét, Brent Faiyaz, and Coco Jones are reminding the world what full-bodied R&B feels like.

Josh Levi joins that lineage but with a different mission: to make groove bouncy again. HYDRAULIC is a statement of balance: modern production that honors melody, and storytelling that values texture and gloss. Levi is translating R&B essence for a generation raised on playlists instead of radio.

Most R&B today sits between vulnerability and vibe. HYDRAULIC reclaims the middle ground where energy meets emotion. It’s romantic but assertive, polished but lived-in. Levi doesn’t borrow from the past in a lazy way, his references are well thought and executed. With Issa Rae’s creative guidance and his own vocal command, he’s turned nostalgia into vibe portal.

This debut is a beautiful addition to the world’s R&B catalogue. It provides fun musicianship in an era of drowned out presets, and honesty in an era of sad boy aesthetics. This is R&B with hydraulics. Smooth when it wants to be, strong when it needs to be and impossible to ignore once it starts moving.