Leaked: New N.E.R.D. Album Not Nearly As Annoying As First Single Might Suggest

N.E.R.D., Seeing Sounds

Official Release Date: June 10

The Verdict: Apart from the fingernails-down-a-chalkboard lead single, “Everybody Nose,” it’s actually pretty great. As one might expect from the Neptunes’ side project, the beats are uniformly berserk in a way that might make these songs unlistenably annoying if they weren’t anchored by decent hooks. Luckily, here, like on 2004’s underrated Fly or Die, N.E.R.D.’s near-competent songwriting saves the day with “Love Bomb,” “Sooner or Later,” “Windows,” “Yeah You,” and “Laugh About It” all managing to hide memorable choruses underneath kitchen-sink production. Even so, this is probably terrible hangover music.