Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal pushes boundaries with bold, confessional tracks
Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal pushes boundaries with bold, confessional tracks
The 19-track album blends sharp lyricism, alter egos, and emotional honesty.
In Tune is The NewsHouse’s weekly album review. Contributors Sarah Dorval and Annie Labarca cover new releases across genres.
Alligator Bites Never Heal dropped just over a month ago on August 30, marking 26-year-old rapper Doechii’s third mixtape released under Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records. The 47-minute, 19-track project is her longest yet, with her two previous albums falling at just 21 and 14 minutes. She’ll perform across the U.S. and Europe this fall, finishing with shows in Washington, D.C., and her hometown of Tampa.
The Florida swamp heat can be felt on the third track on the album, “BOILED PEANUTS.” From the sneaky-sounding saxophone riff as a background character to the bizarre twinkling notes in between rap, Doechii makes clear she’s not afraid to get weird in her verses from the production to the lyrics. “Easy, breezy, beautiful, erratic / Scatter-minded, manic, borderline addict” not only plays on cosmetic brand CoverGirl’s famous former tagline (Easy Breezy Beautiful) but also serves as a perfect transition into serious confessions on mental health.
The song embodies what the rest of the album accomplishes: natural slides from high energy and sensuality to dark corners playfully on display. Amongst the range, however, lies a lucky standout: track thirteen, “NISSAN ALTIMA,” the single released on August 2, prior to the release of the album. The song currently has over 11.5 million streams on Spotify, nine more than the second most popular song from the album, “BOOM BAP,” which sits at just over two million.
Right off the bat, Doechii comes in punching through the catchy electronic beat by splitting each of her lines into three sets of mostly expletives. The language isn’t a surprise considering the entire album is categorized as explicit and serves to show how creative she can get as she combines sexual innuendos with popular icons. “But bougie mean she freaky, cunnilingus, Dalai Lama” or “Wine and dine her, Benihana, I’m the new hip-hop Madonna” additionally reveal Doechii’s ability to craft herself as a persona within her music, switching from referring to herself in the third person to the first.
An alter ego makes an appearance on an earlier track, “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” holding the rapper accountable for telling the story of what’s happened to her since the release of an earlier EP. Doechii gives a new meaning to being open and honest as she exposes the details of her previous relationship, where she was cheated on and lied to about the identity of the person. To cope, she throws herself into her vices, and the alter ego tries to get Doechii to admit her issues in a back-and-forth dialogue resembling a puppet show. The specific audio trended on TikTok, which helped gain initial traction for the album.
As a collection, though, this album was not the most memorable purely for the amount of songs packed in. While it can be quick to name a song that feels like a favorite, some titles are neglected because they’re short enough to blend in with the song before or after it. Although, it doesn’t necessarily matter; Alligator Bites Never Heal has enough genius present in the lyrics that are remembered that makes it worthy of a listen.