“Stargazing”

How does Travis Scott welcome everyone to the dark amusement park that he calls Astroworld? With “Stargazing,” a psychedelic trap song about embarking on a very special kind of trip. In his usual methodology, Travis processes the hell out of his vocals until they sound ghoulish. “Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ got me stargazing,” he bellows, as haunted voices swirl in the background. Though he’s a talented experimenter, Travis also knows how to craft a slick pop song—his sticky synth melodies and howling hook make for a potent earworm. Midway through, the instrumental drops out, and his voice shifts into a squealing falsetto, filtered to sound almost like a spooky electric guitar: “I was always high up on the lean/Then this girl came here to save my life,” he sings sweetly. With only a few words and an entire world of atmospheric sound design, Travis paints an engrossing picture of his depraved, drug-fueled love affairs. But before he reveals the story’s ending, a creaking sample of a rollercoaster transitions the track into a completely different beat that could be its own separate song. If there’s anything that “Stargazing” reveals, it’s that Astroworld will take you on an unpredictable ride.