Oh yeah?

Review of Oh yeah? by Steve Lacy

After four years away Steve Lacy thought we wanted more, oh yeah? and he was right, 40 minutes of atmospheric music that throws you through its pink hoop and only spits you out after dragging you through every subject and sound it can reach.

“I want to say shit how I would say shit.”
Steve Lacy, Rolling Stone

The sound of Steve Lacy surrounds you, he is able to not only make a nice sounding “tune” but an experience. Once you put on your headphones and hit “oh yeah,” he goes full throttle with so many layers of harmonizing vocals, subtle but heavy guitar riffs, high pitched synths, piano, and more. It envelops you and guides you through its running time. It’s a really special gift if somebody possesses the ability to create a mix of sounds that feel both filled with unique elements but also cohesive as a whole.

You can listen to the title track as many times as you want and it still allows itself to surprise you with a new element or a new combination of elements you never noticed. A really catchy opening track that removes any doubts about taking the time to listen.

You ain’t gotta trust me to love me, baby
Yeah, you ain’t gotta trust me to love me, baby
Yeah, ‘cause I don’t even trust myself

“Is it cool?” channels his inner-kid Cudi. Then he pairs it with SZA, who I’ll admit upfront I’m a sucker for. Everything she sings lands elevated, endlessly replayable. Her voice is just effortlessly cool.

This is the first track with genuinely strong lyrics. Lacy sings about someone who knows they’re a cheater and does nothing to fix it. He just embraces it. That’s a rare kind of honesty in songwriting, admitting the behavior feels almost normal to him instead of dressing it up.

The one issue: that drum loop. Simple, stuck in the background, on repeat. When you’ve got this much creativity in the vocal layering, leaving the drums that plain feels like a waste. Still, the song is beautiful. It answers its own question.

“the feeling comes first”
Steve Lacy, Instagram

Steve Lacy describes the song perfectly, just by the title track. This entire song is built on feeling.

To me, that feeling is a nice cliche summer day, windows open in the car. It’s also the most Steve Lacy track on the album, with everything that makes him so atmospheric added in. The most important element of a true Steve Lacy track is adding so many layers of harmonizing vocals, and that’s exactly why there’s nothing to say about the lyrics here, the vocals are more part of the instrumentals than a separate element. The sound engineer probably couldn’t see his family for a full year to make it all perfect.

It doesn’t sound complex but that’s the point, it makes you feel comfortable, it makes you feel relaxed, it makes you feel blissful.

My want for you runs deep as hell
I choke on smoke, it takes a toll on me

Total shift in sound and pace: “Pure Colour” is the opposite of “The Feeling,” and nothing like what you’d normally associate with the words “Pure Colour” either. It’s dark, eerie, and feels very off. When I saw the feature by Erykah Badu, I expected a nice and smooth 90’s R&B track.

What we got instead is the story of two lovers who miss each other deeply and turn to drugs to fly away from the pain. Thinking about it, if “Pure Colour” refers to white, it would make sense.

Though the track won’t be finding its way into any normal playlist, except maybe a few broken-hearted high playlists, it’s still a fun addition to “Oh Yeah?” It works as a distinct divider between the more high-tempo neo-soul tracks.

Had to cry a river just to find the fish in the sea

“Show you me” sounds innocent, especially after the dark pit of “Pure Colour.” But it’s actually filled with even more loneliness and heartbreak. I really hope Steve Lacy is doing okay.

The real standout: the lyric about crying a river just to find someone new. It’s both funny and genuinely well-written. There are also a few questionably raunchy but funny lines elsewhere, one in particular about literally having someone’s coochie stuck in his teeth after going down on them. It only makes sense once you factor in the opening quote, it’s just pure Steve Lacy.

“They were like, ‘All right, now play some happier ones.'”
Steve Lacy, Rolling Stone

Ironically, one of the happiest-sounding tracks is called “Doom.” But this was done with intent. Steve Lacy has attributed a lot of the darker songs on this album to a breakup last year, his record label asked for some happier songs, and he delivered, but not without making it a double-edged sword. The whole reason the song sounds happy is built on a bleak premise, everyone’s chasing sex but nobody actually cares about love anymore. That happiness isn’t real happiness or bliss, it’s more of an everything-is-already-fucked-so-who-cares approach. It’s a song based on the version of happiness you get once everybody knows the world is ending, not actual happiness.

The sound reminds me a lot of artists like Teezo Touchdown. It’s becoming its own genre, something like an Emo-R&B-Rock fusion. The instrumentals do sound a bit rushed or templated, might be a side effect of that “play some happier ones” request. It works, but it does not have sticking power, except for its irony.

“Nothing” does its title proud, there’s really nothing to say about this track. One riff, a romantic guitar line, and standard lyrics on top. That’s it.

We get elastic, we pull it like plastic
We everlasted, it’s here where we left it

“Lovesexdrugbomb” brings back that Steve Lacy sound, keeping the romantic vibe from “Nothing” but actually giving us something to chew on this time. The lyrics follow a couple stuck in an endless breakup-and-makeup loop. What makes it more interesting is how open Lacy is about his sexuality here. He doesn’t hide it. He uses it, turning it into part of the songwriting itself, and that’s what gives the track a realness “Nothing” never had.

“Nice Shoes / In Your World” picks up the tempo, an alt-R&B and drum and bass fusion laced with a synth that beeps like you’re scanning your shopping at the supermarket checkout. Lacy plays with it to build moments of action, then pulls back and lets the D&B drop out so his vocals can shine through. I can’t confirm it, but I feel like this one is inspired by some of Frank Ocean’s work, both in the mixing and the vocal style.”

Do you got your vows, bitch? ‘Cause I do

“Bebe” is a pure and honest Steve Lacy track, mellow and perfectly placed to round off the album’s 40-minute run. Another love song to end on, and you can really tell Steve Lacy has been through a breakup that did something to him. That’s the one thing I took away from this album. He seems both okay and broken by it, and while it’s not like he’s traumatised, it was enough to make most of these songs revolve around every side of love, from cheating and sexual orientation to bliss, loneliness and desire.

Four years was a long wait, but oh yeah? earns it. It’s not flawless, a couple of tracks coast and the odd drum loop feels like an afterthought, but taken as a whole it’s an experience rather than just a set of tunes. Lacy sounds both okay and broken, and he turns that into something you actually want to sit inside. I really enjoyed the entire listen, and I hope it won’t take another four years for the next one.

Featured Tracks

the feeling

oh yeah?

Nice Shoes