“SKIN TURNS RED” was released on February 14, 2026 (Valentine’s Day) and is Aeter’s third album. This is Aeter’s most polished work yet and answers every question that I had after “Clown”. I thought Clown being 22 minutes was too short for how good the album was. SKIN TURNS RED is 38 minutes long, which makes me really happy. The production on “Clown” was already amazing, and somehow, here it’s even better. I am so impressed with everything about this project.
As you would know if you read my article on it, I LOVED Aeter’s previous album “Clown”. I was really excited for this album, but because of how highly I thought of the previous one, I was a little nervous that this project wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I am a fan of the tracks such as “TRUTH” and “FAMOUS” that Aeter dropped on Soundcloud leading up to this project, but I was worried that the album would sound like that and not be in the softer style I love Aeter in. There’s nothing wrong with the more aggressive approach he had on the other songs, but I do prefer Aeter’s more melancholy style. Luckily I was reassured when at the end of one of the songs dropped leading up, (I can’t say the name because it’s inappropriate for a school published article) we found out that this style wasn’t in the style of the project. I do really like the track “TRUTH” and wish that there were more Aeter songs in that style, and also I think that song is WAYYYY too short.
Bryce’s Track Ratings:
BLUE-8.2/10
DIE BY ME-9.8/10
LINE LEADER-10/10
DOVE-10/10
YOUR OWN ENEMY w/Ja66-9.3/10
TALK w/Keyo-9.5/10
MAKALYNN-9.1/10
SAVIOR/ NOT A SAVIOR-9.2/10
AS SEEN ON TV-10/10
JOLENE-9/10
HOW TO DRAW-10/10
IF ONLY THE BRIDE USED HER EYES-9.4/10
CLOSURE-8.4/10
SURRENDER-9/10
KNOW MY NAME w/Kushbabykeys-10/10
Overall Rating: 9.4/10
A Few Standout Tracks:
I had a feeling I’d like this album just because I love Aeter’s music so much, but when I heard the snippet for “DOVE” for the first time, I knew I was going to love the project. “DOVE” is such an amazing song; the hook is so catchy, and Aeter’s vocals are beautiful. The music video for the track is also very cool. Although I think my favorite track is “LINE LEADER.” “DOVE” definitely gives it a run for its money.
I love the rapping on the track “AS SEEN ON TV”. His flow on this track is insane, and I love the style he uses. It really reminded me that he can rap. I knew he could rap from songs like “Jester”, the Soundcloud exclusive tracks leading up to the release of this project, and some AeterLuv era stuff, but with a lot of his tracks being slower, it’s really refreshing to hear a different vibe like this. He showed off these skills a few times on this project. I LOVE the verses on “LINE LEADER.” He also shows impressive rapping on the B side of “SAVIOR/ NOT A SAVIOR”. One of my favorite movies is “Mid90s,” so I was delighted to hear a sound clip from it at the end of “AS SEEN ON TV”. Not only is the rapping on this song amazing, but so is Aeter’s singing at the end of the song, which is actually my favorite part.
Kushbabykeys is FANTASTIC on the song “KNOW MY NAME”. It is the final track on the album, and in my opinion, it is a perfect outro. The song is so beautiful. The song actually doesn’t even feature that much of Aeter’s vocals, and it still fits perfectly on this project. A voicemail plays at the beginning of the song, likely from a loved one, and hearing this, then shortly after hearing the beautiful vocals, made for a really great listening experience and added such an emotional element to the song. It reminded me of a voicemail I heard played back at my grandma’s celebration of life, which was the last time I heard her voice. I love this song so much.
My Thoughts On The Features:
The features on this album are so impressive. I found Kushbabykeys’ music from his song “u then me” with Jaydes, and eventually checked his music out further after hearing songs of his with Aeter. I really like Kushbabykeys’ album “$OUTH$IDE VI” which I originally checked out to hear the songs with Aeter and Yuke, but then ended up listening to the whole project because I loved those songs.
I was not previously familiar with the artist “Keyo,” which is understandable, as at the time of writing, he only has around 3 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify. I LOVED his part of “TALK,” so I decided to check out some of his solo music, and he is extremely talented, has an amazing voice, and is definitely an artist to watch going forward.
I’m not extremely familiar with “Ja66,” but I know him from his feature on “Clown” by Aeter, his part on “FAMOUS” by Aeter, and his song “Embrace Me,” which reminds me of Glosuka a lot, an artist whose music I really enjoy. I loved Ja66’s verse on “YOUR OWN ENEMY,” and after loving him on both this album and on the track “oblong” on Clown, I will definitely check out more of his solo music.
My Final Thoughts:
“SKIN TURNS RED” is an early contender for Album of the Year for me. Obviously, this album won’t win a grammy but for my personal tastes, this has a strong case to be the best album released this year. I love the vocals, production, and rapping showcased on this project. As I watch Aeter continue to drop amazing music, I feel really proud of him as I’ve seen him grow immensely as an artist.
When “Clown” was released, Aeter was one of my favorite up-and-coming artists. After listening to “Clown” and “SKIN TURNS RED”, Aeter is now one of my favorite artists, period. The album has amazing production, wonderful vocals, and great features! I am so excited to see where his career goes as he keeps improving with every release. What Aeter is doing is so incredibly impressive being that he’s only 18-years-old. He’s about a year older than me, and he’s younger than some of my high school peers. I love this album so much, and I’m so excited to see what’s next for Aeter. If I had to put money on the future of an artist, I’d go all in on Aeter.
My Album Reviews:
Aeter-Clown: 9.4/10
Aeter-SKIN TURNS RED:9.4/10
Autumn!-##B4GC2 ##B4GC2: 8.2/10
Autumn!-Golden Child, Chapter 2: 8.6/10
DC The Don-Rebirth:8.9/10
Jaydes-Count Up Dracula:7.4/10
Jaydes-Ghetto Cupid:8.7/10
Jaydes-Heartpacing:9.7/10
Jaydes-Panic:6.6/10
Playboi Carti-MUSIC:8.7/10
Summrs-What We Didn’t Have: 9.1/10
