Little Simz – Lotus
A confessional album that owes more to belief and soul-searching rather than a sense of direction, Lotus sees Little Simz blossoming from a dark spell into new light
Little Simz is a trailblazer. Many will have first recognised the London rapper and actor via her Mercury Prize-winning album, 2021's Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. But her journey up to now goes much deeper.
Shortly before releasing her debut album A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons, Kendrick Lamar was already citing Simz as “the illest [rapper] around right now”. Tracks such as the iridescently fierce Venom and the old-school R'n'B-infused Selfish further illustrated Simz’s artistic versatility – both of which propelled her third studio album Grey Area to lofty heights. The grandeur of SIMBI followed (a shortening of Simz’s first name Simbiatu) along with 2022’s surprise-release No Thank You. Now, she’s at the height of her powers. So, what does Lotus, her sixth studio album have in store?
In short, there’s nods to her already expansive palette in what’s come before, with added glimpses to completely new sides of her artistry. Thief opens proceedings with the moody aura of Grey Area, pulsing with punchy drums and atmospheric reverbs. Flood (ft. Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly) hisses with the ominousness of Drop 7’s Mood Swings, while Only (ft. Lydia Kitto) and Lion (ft. Obongjayar) shine with the soulful grace and textural African rhythms of SIMBI respectively.
Young is where things completely change. A rare, light-hearted moment from an artist renowned for her unrelenting craftswomanship, the track’s music video encapsulates the fun that Simz may be open to exploring more going forward creatively. Blood is similarly experimental in style, harnessing palpably emotional exchanges between Simz and Wretch 32 on the pressures of family life, suppressing trauma, and utilising music as a source of solace.
The latter is portrayed further in the album’s closing moments. Despite hitting a peak in her career, an accompanying press release mentions that Simz hit a low point approaching Lotus; self-questioning her confidence and whether her journey had now run its course. Lonely highlights this starkly, but the album’s title track unravels her introspective side best. Her loaded lyrics on being a human within the public eye intersperse beautifully with longtime collaborator Michael Kiwanuka’s comforting vocal lines: 'My pain is a glory / You kept trying to control me / But your God isn’t for me / So I’ll be moving on'.
A confessional album that owes more to belief and soul-searching rather than a sense of direction, Lotus sees Little Simz blossoming from a dark spell into new light.
Listen To: Blood, Lotus, Young