If you don't get a rick and morty vibe from the pacing, animation, and humor in the first few episodes

I'm genuinely trying to figure out what you're referencing. Because the pilot episode of R&M had Rick drooling and shitting himself for half the episode while Morty just kinda wailed in terror in a hail of space-themed gunfire. And there was nothing remotely like that in Lower Decks.

I get the sense that you're just looking at the cell-shaded art style and drawing all your conclusions off of that. Or maybe you saw a two hour long YouTube brain-emulsifier video that tries to do some sort of weird shot-for-shot comparison between scenes in the most mind-numbing and pedantic format possible. Maybe you just had the capacity for enjoyment melted out of you. Idk. But you're comparing apples to anvils.

you have an ideological commitment to not liking rick and morty

I don't even not like R&M. They're a very shit-or-miss show. When they hit, its very enjoyable. But other than being an animated comedy High Sci-Fi show, there's no comparison. Might as well say Star Wars and Star Trek are the same because they both have Wizards and happen in space.