Sam Lachow sounds like a kid in a candy store when he raps. His new album, Huckleberry, dropped today and it’s a delight, probably the feel-good album of the Seattle summer — maybe the year. Upon first glance, Sam slides comfortably into the dreaded “frat rap” category, but to qualify him as such would be a major disservice. Undoubtedly, general amusement derived from social and chemical excess is on his mind, but the indulgences are tempered with a wary sense of contrition; the ghosts of hangovers past seem to haunt every new outing.

The other thing that sets Sam apart from his peers are his musical chops. “The Idea” and “Action Figures” are blowout party jams, for sure, but there’s rare musicianship and craft behind those tracks. Sam writes, produces, directs videos, and does the graphic design on all of his shit, so it’s no wonder dude needs to blow off a little steam.

Huckleberry also does much to shine light on the rapper’s musical squad. Frequent collaborator, and fellow Black Umbrella mastermind, Raz Simone shows up twice, as do familiar names like Ariana DeBoo, B Skeez and Sky Blaow. The third entry in Sam’s “Young Seattle” series continues to show how deep the hip-hop talent pool runs in this modestly-sized Town.

Huckleberry grabs for wide appeal with the same type of precocious energy as its namesake. When things slow down, however, like on the innocence-lost tearjerker “Stolen Bikes,” the man behind the curtain is exposed and Sam Lachow’s raps and boisterousness are reduced to something far darker. It’s a solemn but vital reminder that in order for there to be celebration, we must first understand despair.

Check out Sam’s new video for “ThisThat” (featuring Ryan Rotoro) below: