EntertainmentColumnMusicListen to this: Armand Hammer’s Snakes & LaddersArmand Hammer’s latest album is among their best.by Terrence O’BrienNov 15, 2026, 9:49 PM UTCShareGift Image: Backwoodz StudiozEntertainmentColumnMusicListen to this: Armand Hammer’s Snakes & LaddersArmand Hammer’s latest album is among their best.by Terrence O’BrienNov 15, 2026, 9:49 PM UTCShareGiftPart OfWhat we’re listening to, watching, and reading right now.see all updates Terrence O’Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.I open with this caveat: I haven’t had a ton of time to digest the surprise Armand Hammer record that dropped this week. Billy Woods and Elucid rarely miss, though, and my initial reaction is that Snakes & Ladders ranks among their best. It doesn’t have the seamless throughline production-wise that their collabs with Alchemist (Haram and Mercy) do, but it’s still clearly the singular vision of the two men at its center.Ominous noises dance in the background, blasts of noise add dashes of industrial rage, bass lines throb, and saxophone bleats call out to the sky.
Woods and Elucid have always had excellent taste in production, but here they seem to have brought out the best in collaborators like clipping, Kenny Segal, and Child Actor. They’ve also successfully rallied them around a specific sound palette that keeps the record from actually sounding like it has beats from 11 different producers.Of course, what makes Armand Hammer stand out from many of their contemporaries is their unique and verbose flows. Their lyrical mastery even makes guest rappers like $ilkmoney, who you can practically hear stalking around the mic as he seethes on “Risk,” up their game.On songs like “Gravity,” Billy Woods navigates burgeoning romance with shocking directness, while also acknowledging obliquely how hard it can be to say what you mean.Get it off your chest or put it to the sideAs a preface, all due respect, I suggest‘Cause it’s nothing more precious than timeOn “Vespers,” he references Siouxsie and the Banshees and says “My nightcap three fingers of Fernet,” which is probably the first time I’ve ever heard Fernet Branca get a shoutout in a rap song.“Graveside” is another highlight where it’s Elucid’s turn to get vulnerable:I see you in the grave, I see you in the dirtShouts and hollers every which way, hurtingDarkness chase lightSteel shut close curtainIn some ways, this record feels like a culmination of what Billy Woods and Elucid have been working towards on their non-Alchemist-produced Armand Hammer records like We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, but also their recent solo records like Golliwog and Revelator.Armand Hammer’s Snakes & Ladders is available on Bandcamp and most major streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Qobuz, and Deezer.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O’BrienColumnEntertainmentMusicMusic ReviewSoul Glo’s Diaspora Problems is a hardcore record like no otherTerrence O’BrienNov 8What are you treating yourself to for Bandcamp Friday?Terrence O’BrienNov 6What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen on YouTube?Terrence O’BrienNov 1Most PopularTesla is inviting some people to buy a Cybercab ‘for personal use’ — but read the fine printWatch SpaceX successfully execute the first ‘chopstick’ catch of StarshipJensen Huang and the decline of the visionary showman founder CEOWork to replace old copper wire led to the FAA’s ground stopHere are our favorite deals from REI’s giant Holiday SaleAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad
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