On to Better Things (2022) was released on January 21st, 2022. This project was released through 10k Projects and had ample hype leading up to its release. Being only the second studio album in Iann Dior’s discography, he needed to find a way to build excitement. He released one promotional single, “let you,” and had released snippets of a handful of the other tracks featured. Iann recruited three other artists to be featured throughout the album, including: Lil Uzi Vert, Machine Gun Kelly, and Travis Barker. The album only peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard 200, although the project was still seen as a success in Dior’s career. Ultimately, the album sold 17,000 copies worldwide around its release, and again, gave traction to Iann’s career.

Introduction

Iann Dior’s second studio album was certainly a hit. While it doesn’t quite live up to his debut project, nothings ever good enough, it certainly adds to his discography. There are a handful of songs here that fall flat, but there are also songs that shine very high. The production seems lackluster in certain points, but overall is certainly a positive, which was headlined by Travis Barker. Iann’s vocals were top notch in most songs, really connection both the production and meaning to the overall tone of the track. While the meaning is quite basic in a majority of the songs, again Iann does his best to elicit pure emotion. And topping off the album is the help of features, all of which add a lot to an otherwise basic project. All in all, on to better things, while it is certainly a basic rap pop album, does hold some weight in the genre.

Production

The one slight disappointment I have with this project lies here. While the production certainly wasn’t a total bust, it was definitely lackluster. Listening early on in the project, it appears to be wonderfully crafted, but the further in, the more you realize it really isn’t. The tracks mainly differ in the opening, however, this difference lasts 10 seconds, then breaking into the same sounding instrumental on each song. Iann does deserve his props going slightly experimental on songs like “obvious” and “let you” diverging into a rock and pop feel respectively. He also deserves his props on the song, “heartbreak3r,” where there is an excellent utilization of instrumentation breakage, which adds a wonderful emphasis on many of the lines on that track. The production level does knock the album down a level, but it certainly doesn’t drag the album entirely through the mud.

Vocals

One of the heavy strong suits here is Iann’s vocals. Opening the project, he starts softer, and builds more into a rapping style by the end of the project. Regardless of the style, Iann brings his all and sounds phenomenal. There are times where I was left a little confused on his vocal control, on tracks like “fallin’,” where he falls completely flat. Some songs, however, like that of “complicate it” or “options” left me blown away with his control. There is an even distribution of both feelings for me, but I feel all in all Iann’s performance was a highlight here.

Meaning

The meaning behind a majority of the tracks is quite similar. As expected on any typical rap album, there are heavy themes of relationship problems and substance abuse. Half of the tracks speak on the problems Iann has found in his relationship. He finds peace within his relationship and determines to put more effort in by the end of on to better things though. Iann also opens about his struggle with depression, showing some human-like features to him. When talking about his depression, it is important to note the entire mood of the track follows his emotions, adding an extra emotional take for the listener. “V12” is the only song I felt detracts from the overall meaning, as it talks about the stereotypical drugs, girls, and money, which has no connection to the other 14 songs, and just seems like an addition on the project to tie Lil Uzi Vert to the album.

Features

The features on the album are certainly worth talking about. A smaller name at the time, Iann brings in two big names in Lil Uzi Vert and Machine Gun Kelly, both staples in the music industry. Like I said earlier, I feel as if the Lil Uzi Vert feature was used strictly as traction for the album. He did, however, fit well and sound terrific on his track, but it seemed quite unnecessary. As for the Machine Gun Kelly feature, it fit perfectly. He matches the vibe brough on by Iann perfectly and makes “thought it was” that much better. The Travis Barker features are in similar fashion; however, they don’t really add much to the project. Sounding very similar to other tracks, it was hard to remember that there was a feature on the tracks he was on. All in all, however, the features are a big plus for the project.

Conclusion

on to better things is a project that is not meant to blow anyone away but does hit on some levels. The production was an up and down rollercoaster but was somewhat saved my Iann’s vocals. The meaning on the project was also quite basic. I feel as if the highlight of the project was the sound on the top 6 or 7 songs on the project, but those would be the only songs I would revisit. The project does elevate Iann’s status in the rapping community, and it did set him up to branch his career in ways that were not possible prior to on to better things.

Song Rankings:

1. “complicate it”
2. “heartbreak3r”
3. “options” 
4. “V12” (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
5. “is it you”
6. “let you”
7. “thought it was” (feat. Travis Barker & Machine Gun Kelly)
8. “regret” 
9. “heavy”
10. “obvious” (feat. Travis Barker)
11. “dark angel interlude”
12. “hopeless romantic” (feat. Travis Barker)
13. “fallin’” 
14. “sinking interlude”
15. “i might”

Strongest Track

The strongest track is a toss-up between the top two but goes to “complicate it.” This song has the best sounding chorus, featuring great rhythm while still being a much slower track. The song does sound quite similar to the song before it, however, it simply does it better. Iann sounds fantastic and truly elevates this track above the other 14.

Weakest Track

“i might” was the clear-cut weakest track on the project. Iann does sound good here, with his vocal performance taking the lowest dip it does on the project. The chorus has certain emphasis at the end of certain lines that sounds absolutely awful. I found myself skipping this track after relistening, and it certainly does not add much value to the project as a whole.

Feature Rankings

1. Machine Gun Kelly ~ “thought it was” (feat. Travis Barker & Machine Gun Kelly)
2. Travis Barker ~ “obvious” (feat. Travis Barker)
3. Lil Uzi Vert ~ “V12” (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
4. Travis Barker ~ “hopeless romantic” (feat. Travis Barker)

Final Notes

Song rankings are always subject to change over time, so don’t take these too to heart. They also are just our opinion. We would love to hear your opinions, so leave them in the comment section below. We also suggest subscribing to our blog. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the form. That will allow you to receive emails of new blogs and maybe get them ahead of time. Finally, go give On to Better Things a listen for yourself.