Description
Cruel Santino – Subaru Boys Final Heaven – Double 180 Gram Blue Vinyl Records
Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN is the debut studio album by Nigerian alté artist Cruel Santino (formerly known as Santi), released on March 4, 2022. As one of the key figures in Nigeria’s alté movement—a genre-blurring, youth-led subculture rooted in self-expression and eclectic musical experimentation—Cruel Santino delivers a boundary-pushing, genre-defying project that fuses Afrobeats, trap, punk, indie pop, R&B, Japanese anime aesthetics, and video game-inspired storytelling into a dense and vividly imagined sonic universe.
The album is ambitious and cinematic, framed as a conceptual narrative that draws inspiration from anime tropes, fantasy world-building, and gaming culture. The “Subaru Boys” of the title are imagined as a kind of outlaw collective navigating a dystopian, anime-styled world, with “Final Heaven” representing both an endgame and an emotional climax. Santino acts as a sort of narrator and shapeshifter, assuming different vocal personas and sonic textures across the album’s expansive 21 tracks.
Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN is eclectic to the point of being intentionally chaotic—an immersive blend of sounds that constantly shift between gritty trap beats, bubbly synth-pop, emo-rap, dancehall, punk energy, and lo-fi interludes. Santino’s voice is often processed and layered, more like an instrument than a traditional lead vocal, allowing the production to take center stage while still conveying emotion and character.
Tracks like “Final Champion,” with its galloping percussion and anime-inspired cadence, and “Deadman Bone”, featuring British-Ghanaian rapper Kojey Radical, show Santino’s love for theatrical, genre-hybrid soundscapes. “The Pearls” leans into an airy, melodic softness with contributions from Chi Virgo, while “Dirty Eyes Evil Manners” highlights his ability to ride a glitchy, industrial beat with swagger and menace. Other standout collaborations include Skepta on “Turn Me Up,” Amaarae on the dreamy and sensual “Born Again,” and Koffee on the smooth, reggae-tinged “Devastated.”
Santino trades traditional storytelling for surreal, image-heavy phrases that evoke mood and myth rather than straightforward narrative. This aligns with his world-building ethos—each song feels like a chapter or side quest in a larger anime-inflected mythos, with themes of love, survival, cosmic destiny, and personal evolution running throughout. The album rewards repeated listens, revealing new connections and motifs each time.
Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN was met with critical acclaim for its bold vision, genre fusion, and creativity, though some listeners found its sprawling nature overwhelming or disjointed. However, that sprawling, rule-breaking energy is central to Santino’s ethos and the alté movement in general—it’s about defying labels, pushing boundaries, and creating a space where African music can be just as experimental and unpredictable as any global counterpart.
Visually and aesthetically, Santino has always stood out, and this album’s world is reflected in its anime-inspired visuals, video game-themed rollouts, and stylized character lore. It’s more than an album—it’s a multimedia experience, further cementing his reputation as one of the most forward-thinking artists in Nigeria and the broader global alternative scene.
Subaru Boys: FINAL HEAVEN is a genreless, world-building epic that breaks the mold of what African music can sound and look like. It positions Cruel Santino not just as a musician, but as a creative architect—one shaping entire universes out of sound, story, and subculture.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Matilda
I Told Gus I’m Dreaming
War In The Trenches
Tapenga
The Pearls
Heating Rocks
Mermaid Aqua
Own Game
Deadman Bone
Final Champion
Swagger Back
Subaru Boys OST (Interlude)
First Heaven
Beautiful Nothing
Born Again
Wicked City
Fallin
Way of the Serpent
Sucre/Saga Ship
Dirty Eyes Evil Manners
Sa-Kurachan
