by Sam Wolstenholm
First of all, I'd like to congratulate SZA on being the first artist to receive two reviews on swolst.com. I'm sure it's an honor for her but I'll let her tell you herself in the comments. Anyway, this is a review of her second album, SOS, after debuting with Ctrl (I reviewed that one). It was released on December 9th of 2022 and had a lot of hype around it. Was it worth the hype? That's up for you to decide. All I know is that this album is quite the emotional journey. It's essentially a breakup album filled with thought-provoking lyrics and a variety of styles. Oh yea, and SZA can sing a little bit.
1. "SOS"
Alright, so this intro is interesting. It's not so much a song as it is just SZA spitting like a rapper over some odd noises. Granted, the noises are pretty cool and there's a buried rhythmic bass line and other instrumentation, but nothing to return to really. It serves well as an intro because SZA is giving a taste of the attitude that this album possesses (knowing oneself but not exactly being happy with it). It's not focused on the production as much as it is the content. Therefore, it definitely isn't going on my playlist, but I won't skip it when playing the album. It's fine, so let's get on to the more fleshed out tracks.
2. "Kill Bill"
I absolutely love this chorus. It's so catchy and beautiful sounding. The lyrics are so hyperbolically relatable. I'm positive she isn't talking about actually murdering her ex. Also, I like the line "rather be in jail than alone" even though I'd have to disagree myself. It's just a way she is turning her emotions into exaggerations for art. She's even self-aware of it. "I might kill my ex. Not the best idea" and "I'm so mature, I got me a therapist to tell me there's other men" are two lines that show the fact that she's kind of just speaking her instrusive thoughts. Oh yea, and it sounds amazing. I love the snare work on the drums, and the atmospheric synth whistle thing creates a somber tone but still uneasy. If it doesn't take the top spot, this song is still one of my favorites on the album.
The "do it to you" chorus can get a little annoying, but it's not bad (mostly because SZA says it differently a lot). She sings over a beat that's both tight and spacey at the same time. It's weird because some sounds feel like they're far away and others are right in your face. The drums, for example, are quick and quirky. The bass line, on the other hand, is super deep and helps develop part of the song as a space-filler. It's digital and synthy, but it sounds great under SZA's organic and clear vocal performance. I do enjoy this song, and part of it has to do with the writing. She is basically talking about her, um, actions? She is essentially recognizing a red flag in herself by acknowledging the joy/satisfaction she feels in ending a legitimate relationship. It's a feeling of freedom and accomplishment instead of a sadness or regret. I love the comlpexity of the concept, and that might just be my favorite thing about SZA's music: exploring the complexity of a real person's real emotions. Plus, it makes it so much better when it's self aware, and she certainly seems to be.
4. "Low"
Did SZA make a trap song? I think she did, and it's better than a lot of trap music that's out there right now too. It's heavy on the 808s and features a pretty standard trap drum beat, so nothing crazy besides the texture sounds like some unidentifiable synths. Nothing is blowing me away sonically, and the same could be said about the lyrics. She's discussing her secret life as a lover and that she tries to keep it unnoticed and quiet amongst others. It's a need-to-know basis kind of thing (not anymore though, I guess, since it's the subject of a whole ass song now). Travis Scott is also doing ad libs on, well, the whole track. I, for one, don't see the point in it unless he's involved somehow in the situation she's talking about (and I'm pretty sure he's not but what do I know). He is one of the producers of the beat though, so I guess he just decided to put his own voice in there. I don't think it really did anything for the song, though it does make sense that he had a hand in production. It's got that deep, heavy feel that comes from his past projects. Overall, a pretty mid track really.
Ahhhh I want to say I like this, and I guess I can't say that I don't, but I will say that the best part is the end when the string section takes the lead and the vocals and drums cut out. In fact, I love the strings and wish they were present for the entire song. Besides that part, I honestly felt like this track was pretty paint-by-numbers. Don't get me wrong, the mixing and everything is high-quality, but it's just a basic atmospheric love song. Nothing SZA does is catchy or unique enough to save it. It's effective in establishing a crawling pace, but the problem is that the crawl contrasts with the speed of SZA's delivery. It's a lot of vocal, but not a lot of music.
6. "Blind"
The same problem with the last song is part of the reason why this one works. It's a much better song that uses musical softness to allow for more impactful vocals. The music is powerful though. The acoustic guitar is absoultely beautiful, and it is layered with what sounds like a string section and background vocals. They take their turns coming in and out of the mix though, creating a dynamic instrumental (doing a lot with a little). The strings pluck a during the chorus too, and it just adds a nice splash of color to the mix. It cuts down to just the soft guitar for the post-chorus though (where she's like "bliiiind! BLIIIIND!"), and it is so gorgeously airy. It's a bit messier (in a good songwriting kind of way) when it comes to the lyrics. What she is blind to is her own issues. However, she clearly isn't because she's recognizing and writing them all down for a song. This is the mind of an artist, and SZA is one of the most artistic people out there. She writes and sings from a genuine place, and it's easy to tell. It's how one gets through things. How to improve. It starts with recognition and giving attention to the real problems. She is saying that even though she knows what's wrong, she's choosing to look the other way. It's a willingness to continue the cycle of self-destructing behavior. That seems to be the theme of the album. SOS is a cry for help, and the songs seem to be the things that need addressed.
Oh man I was sleeping on this one for a minute. The first few times I listened, it didn't really stick out to me. I wasn't impressed by Don Toliver's chorus, nor did I feel particularly connected to what SZA was saying or even her delivery. And even though I might still feel pretty neutral about her verses, I think this track is amazing now. Don Toliver's vocals actually do stick out and add some well-needed variation to the album as a whole. It's the simplicity of it that makes it work. SZA's singing is too complicated, and she wouldn't be able to pull off that simplistic and digitally melodic hook. Musically, there isn't anything crazy, but it's a great blend of some piano, simple drums, and a sick-ass bass line (among other sounds, as always...BUT THAT BASS LINE THOUGH). I also like how the drums will fade/cut in and out in creative and effective spots. It's a well put together track that I really can't complain about. The lyrics are pretty sad too (believe it or not). "All that's real is forever. Moments stolen taste better." AHHH! "Love me better when you try less. I don't take much, just need your honesty." OOOOOO AND "Feelings don't need discussion. Spend my life discovering new shit." All of those lines can be interpreted in your own personal ways. It's the kind of stuff that makes you think. Overall, I think the track is about life and death. She's being used by God or the universe or something as a player in the game basically. It's kind of messed up but I love it.
8. "snooze"
I like this song, so I'll just quickly mention the one part of it that I don't like. When she puts a ton of effects on her vocals for the bridge in the second half of the song, it sounds like it's somebody else singing. I guess that's the point of the effects, but I would've preferred a feature for that. It just sounds kind of weird to me. Besides that though, great song. It's slow and sensual. The chorus is catchy. It's a love song with a layer to it. I can't really ask for much more. What's that layer you ask? Well, it seems to me that SZA is basically in love with an enabler. Somebody that will support her and she would do just about anything for. And I mean anything. It's slightly disturbing, but that's only if you take it literal. Either way, the track is good.
9. "Notice Me"
This might be a hot take, but this sounds like a Post Malone song. However, I'm glad it isn't his song because SZA sounds really good here. Besides that, other good things involve the drums (specifically that sporadic snare) and the catchy chorus. Sadly, that's kind of where it stops for me. I'm not a fan of the poppy synth lead (it almost sounds like a steel drum). If it committed to the bit and sounded shinier and cleaner somehow, then maybe it'd work? Maybe I'm crazy but they just sound wrong, and they mix weird with the drums. In fact, they sound best at the end of the song when the drums cut out, so maybe the drums are the problem. Maybe it's the bass too because I'm just not feeling it.
10. "Gone Girl"
Powerful breakup song. Yes, the lyrics are emotional, but the power comes in the music, like damn! It reminds me of the dynamics of a Silk Sonic track (check out my review of that album) with the huge drum fills, smooth bass, airy background vocals, electric piano chords, and so many changes happening in the instrumental. It's really the drums that make this song stand out. It sounds like they're played by a live drummer. In fact, this album so far seems to be a good mix of live and produced sounds (at least, it's done well enough to where it's hard to tell). The chorus sounds catchy but I can see it getting annoying. I personally don't find the repetition to be a problem here, but I would understand if someone else did. Yea, this one is the biggest sounding song by far, and I for one am a fan of the bigger sound after hearing a lot of softer tracks in the first half-ish of the project. I strongly considered choosing this as my dark horse pick, but there's one later on that took the spot. Part of the reason I didn't pick this one was because I see the potential for it to become a hit, and that would defeat the purpose of the dark horse, right? I don't know.
Ah shit, a rap song, and honestly, she's rapping better than most of your favorite rappers (go ahead, try me...yea this is better rapping than anything that boy Drake has done in the last like five years) (EDITING NOTE: turns out she dated Drake in 2009 and says a line in this song about him: "Got your favorite rapper blocked," ...who knew?). I do wish this track was longer, but I am happy with what we got. The vocal sample sounds cool, and the instrumental overall is soulful and serves as a good canvas for SZA to paint with her lyrics. I did notice that the "Smokin' on my ex pack tonight" is eerily similar to Kendrick Lamar's line in Baby Keem's "Family Ties." No accusations, just an observation (though I wonder which one conceived of it first). Yup, going on the playlist for now. We'll see if it stays there though.
Another track that's just almost there for me. I do like the vocal melodies, and the chorus is catchy and moody. Phoebe Bridgers has a good extended feature, and her voice sounds great over the etherial production. I actually really like this duo, and I hope they work together more in the future. The end of the track, when the instrumental starts bugging out, sounds really cool. I do wish there was more of that happening across the entire song. It clashes a little bit with SZA's vocals, but I think that works because of the song's narrative. It's glitching out because it's reflecting the imperfections of human beings. SZA is craving natural human tendencies over the fakeness that she sees everyone trying to emulate. And the part of the instrumental that reflects that is ironically more pleasing than the straight chords and clean sounds that fill the majority of the song. It's a trip of a song. I love it in the context of the album, though I'm not sure if it's going on my playlist or not (EDITING NOTE: it is). If you like soft songs with big feelings, you'll probably enjoy this one.
13. "F2F"
Woah I didn't see this coming, and I absolutely love it. I'm reminded of 2000s rock a bit (Machine Gun Kelly should listen to this song). The acoustic guitar gives the song a personal, grounded feel, but the electric guitar feels like an absolute outburst of emotion when it comes in. I'm banging my head and crying at the same time. I also just appreciate SZA's ability to push the limits of her sound and completely crush it. This album as a whole sounds nothing like her last one, but this song specifically is completely different. It threw me off (in a good way) when I first played the album, and I was already jumping around by the end of it. If you didn't catch on, "F2F" almost certainly stands for "fuck to forget," and umm..yea. We do irrational things sometimes to get past someone that meant so much to us. Whether that's drugs, sex, art, or starting a music review blog...
14. "Nobody Gets Me"
Another guitar track, but this one is a much softer acoustic one, and it's amazing. This is the kind of track I like SZA the best on. She sings her ass off about personal flaws and experiences, and her powerful and emotional performance is enhanced by the stripped back instrumental. It's a beautiful track about how tough it is to let go of someone that knows you so well. It's just easier to try and hold on, even if it's not exactly healthy, because we are naturally more comfortable with the familiar. I both love and hate that SZA is so good at getting me to feel things. I love it because it's good music. I'm able to extract real emotions from myself using this art as a tool. I hate it because I'm being forced to face some things that I didn't even know I needed to face (which is really a good thing, but it hurts in the moment). I don't like feeling like shit, but I love when it's a song that does it instead of a person.
15. "Conceited"
Not it. This one is not it at all. In fact, it's probably my least favorite SZA song ever. The instrumental is this tasteless synth pluck thing, and it goes the entire time. I can barely understand what SZA is saying because she's doing this weird thing where she doesn't pronounce all her words? She always does that to a degree, but it hurts the song in this case. I don't like the chorus either. Just saying "me" over and over again starts to sound awful pretty quickly. And the repetitive melodies (if you could even call them melodies) sound like they were made in 15 seconds by some TikTok teenager. Maybe the point of the track was to appear in TikTok videos, but it should've been cut from the album anyway.
16. "Special"
Lol okay until I read the lyrics, I thought she sang "Hate how you look at her 'cause you never saw me, like I was an ARBY'S, like I was an ordinary girl." I definitely knew it wasn't the correct lyric (which is "art piece"), but I think I'm going to stick with it. Arby's is mad underrated by the way. Dark horse fast food chain for sure. Now, about the song, it's alright. I enjoy the laid-back guitar instrumental, but it comes off a bit sleepy to me, even when the bass and snaps come in. The chorus rubs me the wrong way too. Normally, I'd chalk it up to the way the word "special" is just weird to me, but I was kind of put off by the whole song's narrative. SZA is essentially blaming a guy (an ex) for making her feel "ordinary" and bad about herself because of that. First of all, there is nothing wrong with being "ordinary" because it doesn't exist. Every person is special, regardless of my reluctance to use the word. What is deemed "ordinary" is decided on by society and changing constantly, so you are special as long as you are being yourself. Secondly, she doesn't seem to be taking much responsibility for herself. I'm positive that this guy and their relationship had a negative effect on the way SZA views herself, but she is giving power to this man by letting him live in her head. If you want to change, you need to change something. It sounds stupid but it's true. You won't feel better if you keep doing the same thing. I guess you could say she doesn't have the meats.
17. "Too late"
Interesting percussion. There are some punchy bass drum sounds and various hi-hat noises just bouncing around in a unique but rhythmic pattern. It's honestly my favorite part of the track because it's pretty forgettable overall. No amazing vocal performance from SZA. Not much that'll get stuck in my head. The instrumental is kind of bare and inconsistent. Not a horrible song or anything, but this one isn't for me.
18. "far"
I'd consider this one a sleeper (as in it's something I would play while I try to fall asleep). It's good, but it's slow. I'm okay with slow, but it isn't exciting enough to me in this case. The instrumental straddles the line between quirky and boring. The overall sound is pretty basic on the surface, but it's made up of a bunch of really cool smaller sounds. There's glitchy synths and deep sub basses. The drums are fine, but I think I would've preferred more live sounding ones. Overall, I give this one my approval, but it's not something I'm going to return to. I do like the skit that opens the track though. SZA says, "How do I deal with rejection? I'm dealing with a lot of rejection right now. It makes me feel very small." And some guy (Sadhguru) responds, "Oh that's great. If nobody wants you, you're free." I find that perspective very interesting, and it's honestly kind of nice to hear. I too have been feeling some major rejection in the last year. I've never felt as small as I have in the summer of 2022, but I like Sadhguru's way of twisting that into a positive. That's because I do feel free now. I feel free to meet new people, change for the better, and do things I've always wanted to. Alright, enough of that. You're here for SZA, not me.
19. "Shirt"
This track worked well as a single. I liked it then, and I still like it now. It's fun and catchy. The drums have a unique little fill that happens every so often, and I love the way they cut out for the pre-chorus before returning for the chorus. Speaking of that chorus, it rides well. It's smooth and has some descriptive lyrics. I can picture myself humming "blood stain on my shirt" for weeks. I don't really have much to say about this song. It's good. Listen to it. Or don't.
So I guess we're all good with Travis Scott now? Hmmm...doesn't seem right to me but oh well. He doesn't make a huge impact anyway. If anything, he sounds best when he's doing backup vocals for SZA. His verse is decent, don't get me wrong, but the whole vibe of the song is thrown off by the difference in vocal styles between the artists. The production involves a gorgeous guitar loop over a nice and easy drum beat. The singing is what carries this track, and it does have a bit of a bump to it. I don't dislike it, I guess, but I'm definitely not throwing a GIF under here or anything. It's another one of those that are fine but could've been cut. It is what it is, so please enjoy it if you do.
21. "I Hate U"
I couldn't help but laugh the first time I heard this track. I just thought the chorus was so blunt. "And if you wonder if I hate you, I do." I love it. Not only is it entertaining because of that, but it's catchy as hell. I've been humming this one since the night it came out. The track is nice and short, running at just under three minutes, and I love every second of it. SZA is singing over quite a few different synth sounds (some of which are buried in the mix so deep it's hard to even hear them). Specifically, there's a blocky sound, like a xylophone or digital wood blocks or something like that. It sounds great and adds to the playful nature of the song. Obviously, the topic of the song isn't fun, but SZA leans into the tongue-and-cheek aspect of it. Personally, I think it makes the song better. This is definitely going to be my dark horse pick. I can't exactly put a finger on why this track is so good, it just is. And you'd be a fool to sleep on it, so don't.
22. "Good Days"
Wow this song is a trip. It's one you listen to with headphones all the way up (even though I do that just about every time I listen to music, and yes I know it's bad for you). Content aside, if you just close your eyes and let the song take you, this is one that will not disappoint. The noise at the beginning sets the tone for the entire track: fluterry acoustic guitar, water trickling, and children playing or something that resembles that. There's also some kind of woodwind going on with effects on it. And some synths to fill space, of course. She also does a good job of letting the beat breathe too. There are sections of the song where it's either just the instrumental or just some vocals for harmonizing. It feels very earthy, very airy, and it really does make me feel good. It is kind of long, but it doesn't really feel like it because of how easy it is to simply get lost in the soundscape. Narratively, it works really well in the album's sequencing. After going through everything she's discussed in the previous songs, all she wants is to see good days, and she's realizing that it's up to her to make that happen. Yes, it starts with recognizing faults and areas of pain, but then there is nowhere to go but up after that. To build, you must first break down. I love it, and I wish the album ended right here.
I'm pissed about this song. I kind of hated it at first. I thought it was too out of place and that the instrumental was kind of bland. However, after giving it more listens, I can say I really like this song. SZA is basically rapping again, and she's killing it. She's broken out the metaphorical chains her ex had on her mind for the journey that is this entire album. The confidence is loud, proud, and unapologetic. It sounds great...on it's own. Sadly, I think it takes away from the album experience because of how much it sticks out from the sound of the rest of the project. The ODB (R.I.P.) "feature" is so weird. Again, I love it in this song individually, but it's just not right as part of the album. The instrumental is also quite a bit different. It's great, but it belongs on more of a hip-hop album than this pop/R&B/singer-songwriter one. Piano notes lead the main melody, and a lot of the time it is the lower keys. That's something that happens in a lot of hip-hop songs and usually brings a sense of aggression. The drums are also definitely something I can here Joey Bada$$ rapping over. It's great, and it's going on my playlist, but it shouldn't be on this album. Very conflicted about this closing track.
Overall
What am I even supposed to say here? If you're reading this first and skipping the song reviews, just know that it's good, but it has its moments and its flaws. There's also the one song, "Conceited," that I think is horrible. Overall, it's an album that you need to let yourself get lost in. Let it grow on you. Sit with it. Because there's a lot to digest here. Over an hour of music and 23 songs is a lot. It's not an album for the easily distracted. You've got to pay attention to really feel this because one of the best parts of this album, and I'd argue the best (with the likely exception of SZA's actual singing voice), is the emotion she displays with her lyrics. It's beautifully written and expertly performed. She's a pro, and you can tell she took her time to perfect this piece of art. Well, there is no such thing as perfect, but she still clearly put a lot of care into this. The sound of the album is pretty atmospheric, though it does vary from that quite a few times. I didn't always like how digital and synthetic some of the sounds/instruments were, mainly the drums, but it hardly ruined anything. Many musical ideas were explored across this album, and most of them were successes. The good songs were reallyyyyyyyyy good, one song was really bad, and a couple songs were just alright to me. It's a tough album to give a number to, but I set a precedent so I guess I have to. What's keeping it from getting a higher score is the few moments of negative inconsistency, the pure length of the project, and the fact that some songs can get samey and forgettable (not a lot, but some). 8.1 is still great though, and I respect the scale and boldness of SOS, but I don't think it's better than her last album.
8.1/10
If you've read my review, I assume you have already heard SOS, so I want to hear what you think. What'd I miss? Did I tear apart your favorite song? Or give too much credit to one that doesn't deserve it? Any questions or comments? I'd love to respond. Feel free to drop review requests too! I will strongly consider them.
Peace and love.
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