Destin Conrad has been a budding star in the R&B/Soul scene for some time now. Through expertly released EP’s and mixtapes, his team has put a lot of time and energy into his artistic development and it shows. Being introduced to him through his very first EP, “Colorway” (2021), this debut album feels like a full circle moment as a fan. Not sure how we got here so fast, but witnessing his artistry develop over the past 4 years has been nothing short of a treat.

In an era far removed from its roots of begging and longing for lovers, Destin is redefining what it means to be a modern day male R&B singer. He leads with more vulnerability than bravado, which is refreshing to hear in this time where sometimes it can feel like our current offering of male R&b singers are really just rappers cosplay- ing in a genre they don’t want to be in. Additionally, Destin being gay brings a fresh, new perspective from a demographic that has historically been underrepresented openly in this space.

Love on Digital is an ode to the late ‘90’s / 2000’s era, and you can hear it in the music. It’s impressive how he was able to capture that feeling of the old and the new. Really, the only way to describe it is futuristic nostal- gia, if that makes any sense. Destin’s voice sounds mature and polished, and he flexes his range across the al- bum very well. Features from heavy hitters like Kehlani, serpentwithfeet, Teezo Touchdown, and Lil Nas X bring this album to a 10 for us. We also can’t forget about newcomer Cari (“CARI’S HONEYMOON”) — this interlude ended up being one of our favorites on the album.