Adriane Pontecorvo: Kid Cudi deals an intoxicating dose of psychedelic midnight sensuality and rolling beats on “Frequency”, a track that is all neon and silhouettes, just like its video. He murmurs and belts lyrics with equal rapture in the blissful throes of a sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll kind of hedonism, going to places dark, exciting, and promising. It’s the kind of song that will catch you and pull you in further once you let it, a few minutes of total surrender. [8/10]
Steve Horowitz: Eating mushrooms, seeing double or maybe being with two women, smoking a little weed, but still the singer sounds lonely. The stream of consciousness lyrics goes on without really going anywhere or even doubling back. There are many uses of music, but it’s difficult to imagine when and why one would play this. It’s personal but not confessional as if the listener can intuit the thoughts and feelings of the narrator. [5/10]
Andrew Paschal: As smooth as an untouched jar of peanut butter. That’s probably the metaphor Kid Cudi was going for, right? Here’s one more: “Frequency” slowly absorbs the listener like quicksand, with a humid, languid atmosphere that almost stifles but stops just short of that, giving you just enough space to get comfortably immersed in its world. This isn’t necessarily a track that I would actively seek out, but I would welcome stumbling upon it on any summer’s day (it’s unfortunate then that it was released in late September). “Frequency” is the kind of song that is content to fade into the background and create a mood for all to enjoy. [7/10]
Scott Zuppardo: Hypnotic trip hop with a rasta edge. Kid Cudi puts one down for the mind enhancers on this ditty. Pick your poison, sit back and take flight. [7/10]
SCORE: 6.75