Following the Grammy Award-winning success of 2022's Gemini Rights, which spawned the chart-topping "Bad Habit," Steve Lacy returns with his latest album Oh yeah? — billed by press materials as "a record for guitar kids who love synths and synth kids who love guitars," and his "most personal art to date."Lacy's third album charts the realities of his inner world with the same lyrical candidness and genre-bending soundscapes listeners have come to expect of the chameleonic artist. Having spent a chunk of the last four years abroad, the Compton native found himself feeling more and more at home in foreign countries. This journey led him to a more introspective place, analyzing the comedic and tragic arcs of his own personal odyssey.Written and produced solely himself, Oh yeah? is uniquely personal, and allows for Lacy to showcase his sonic fluidity in full form. As usual, his ability to weave in and out of various genres like R&B, synth pop, trip hop and neo soul, is masterful. ("Bad Habit," after all, simultaneously topped Billboard's hip-hop, R&B and alternative rock charts.)While some artists might struggle under the weight of so many competing styles, Lacy thrives. His songs are full of texture, layers and experimental sounds that complement each other to tell one cohesive story. The musician's insights range from revelatory ("Life's a bitch / And then you live again") to absurd ("I'm a big baby suckin' on big titties / Karma's a bitch and I bet she's pretty"). However, it's the near-constant oscillation between the two that maintains his authenticity.Lacy has always been able to telegraph his inner machinations with ease ("nice shoes"), his musings on mortality, aging, love, desire and sexuality grounded firmly in experience. In that way, he remains extremely relatable; a modern-day everyman, whose memory pool reflects our collective anxieties and desires back to us with unnerving accuracy.His latest venture enlists some A-list collaborators, including SZA ("is it cool?"), Erykah Badu ("pure colour") and Montreal's Cecile Believe ("lovesexdrugbomb"). Their presence elevates the album by adding some gravitas, and showcases Lacy's knack for always having his finger on the pulse.Nearly 10 years into his career, Lacy has matured before our eyes. No stranger to success — see his seven Grammy nominations and illustrious past as a member of the Internet — he has nonetheless established himself as a solo tour de force, especially now that he's made a habit of turning his wry social observations inward.As he sings on "lovesexdrugbomb," "Love to run it back 'cause it's a classic." In many ways, Oh yeah? fits that bill: an album that will undoubtedly be revisited by fans for its breezy, vibes-based nature. Summer 2026 can fully relax into the groove Lacy has graciously laid down.
Wavelength
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