This past March, SZA revealed in an interview that she spent some time in the studio with Steve Lacy, that they “made a random little project together.” With Lacy's new album Oh Yeah? on the way, there was hope that we'd get to see some of that studio magic sooner rather than later. And that hope is real. Today, they've teamed up for the album's third single "Is It Cool," succeeding the tracks "Nice Shoes" and "The Feeling."
Similar to another big single out today, "Is It Cool" interrogates the struggle with Peter Pan Syndrome. In the first verse, Lacy sings about childhood grief, past infidelities, and a strong desire for commitment. "Never needed a man/ Tatay died when I was like ten/ I turned out to be just fine/ I just cheat every now and again," he quickly sings over tinny guitar whines, sort of reminscent of Ratatat, and warbling production. "That was hard for me to admit/ 'Cause I really want commit, really, really want commitment."
“Is It Cool” manages to be a playful, addictive track that packages heavy and vulnerable reflections. There are a lot of great lines, including a kind of mortal reckoning over time-ticking percussion: “No we’re not forever young, we can die any day.” SZA’s satiny vocals weave nicely into the song during the second verse (“Being vulnerable is exhausting, babe/ Can we get naked instead of talking, babe?”) and outro.
Lacy also shared the tracklist, which lists features with Erykah Badu and Cecile Believe. Check that out and listen to the single below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "oh yeah?"
02 "is it cool?" (feat. SZA)
03 "the feeling"
04 "pure colour" (feat. Erykah Badu)
05 "show you me"
06 "doom"
07 "nothing"
08 "lovesexdrugbomb" (feat. Cecile Believe)
09 "nice shoes / in your world"
10 "bebe"
Oh Yeah? is out 7/17 via RCA Records. Pre-order here.
