The follow-up to billy woods' travelogue-like Maps (2023), GOLLIWOG takes inspiration from horror, sci-fi, and folk tales, but draws its narratives from real-life experience. The album's lyrics are filled with grim details of poverty and suffering at the hands of a racist system. "STAR87" matches rhymes about living in a neighborhood full of boarded-up homes with queasy strings and frightful samples warning that something is coming from inside the house. On "BLK XMAS," Bruiser Wolf's standup comedian-like delivery contrasts with his dead-serious lyrics describing an impoverished upbringing and nightmarish existence putting constant strain on mental health. There is an element of dark humor to woods' rhymes, but it can be subtle and hard to catch. The sexual affair he describes on "Misery" seems to provide some form of escape, until it turns out that his married partner is actually a vampire. The album's extensive list of producers contribute fittingly haunting, abstract backdrops for woods' feverish, poetic flows. On "Waterproof Mascara," Preservation loops a wailing theremin and desperate weeping while woods cautiously advises, "don't trust anyone." Saint Abdullah's production for "Maquiladoras" is an unsettling collage of radio static (with the words "Make America great again" blurting out at a key moment) and somber piano, with distant, thunder-like rumbling in place of beats. "A Doll Fulla Pins" and "Golgotha" are both bluesy processionals filled with dreary brass, while "BLK ZMBY" is a rich tapestry of swelling strings and boom-bap drums. "Born Alone" centers around an MF DOOM quote while Maps producer Kenny Segal's skeletal beats and ominous pianos trudge away. Washed-out echo and dubby horns make "Lead Paint Test" feel somewhat mellower. E L U C I D, woods' partner in the duo Armand Hammer, appears on a few songs, including "Dislocated," in which the drums build up to a manic free jazz splatter instead of playing a straightforward rhythm. Even more so than woods' other albums, GOLLIWOG is a challenging work dealing with grim yet truthful subject matter, but it's fascinating and enjoyable due to the rapper's brilliant writing and focused delivery, as well as innovative production from his collaborators.