LITTLE SIMZ- “LOTUS” REVIEW
Written by Beau Croxton
Little Simz by Thibaut Grevet
On Lotus, Little Simz combines many of the strongest elements of her last three outstanding records, while boldly expanding her range. Simz is also tenaciously resilient despite a fallout with a major collaborator.
Little Simz's new album Lotus is a tale of an artist who is too brilliant to be tied down by loss. Recently, (and very surprisingly) press reports have brought to light that Little Simz is currently suing her longtime producer (and friend since childhood) Inflo, for allegedly borrowing over 2 million dollars from her and failing to pay her back. Her new album has direct roots that grew from the troubled waters of this blowout. Like the lotus flower itself, Little Simz’ sixth album sees her artistry blossom out of the mud and into a vivid and colorful spectacle. The album (produced by Miles James Clinton) carries a very live-sounding instrumental approach with some occasional grand orchestration, which makes it feel like it's angling itself in the indie/alternative world just as much as the hip-hop world. While the record is minimalistic at times, there is also many shades of the instrumental ambition on her 2021 Mercury Prize-winning album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (aka SIMBI.)
While Lotus pushes Simz into new sonic ground such as samba and punk, it is also all-encompassing of her last three records and their most successful modes. Lotus has the fiery bangers and sharpness of 2019’s GREY Area, the grandiose orchestration, variety and occasional playfulness found on 2021’s SIMBI and the raw feelings of 2023’s NO THANK YOU. Interestingly enough, those are all albums produced by Inflo, and regarded as her best…until Lotus came through as proof that she is easily capable of reaching those same heights without him.
“Thief” is a vicious opener, complete with James Bond-esque spy riffs and funky breakbeats that recall “Offence” from Simz’s 2019 LP GREY Area. The chorus has a punk edge, and the song is about that situation. “Thief” doesn't waste a second, getting right into the very best of what Simz is capable of with an untouchable flow. It’s a massive standout, emboldened by incredible production and a scathing pen game. “How dare you / I was shutting down the world and it scared you / can't hold a girl down that is this bad”-- Simz comes in cold-as-ice on “Flood”, and much like “Thief” it blazes in with a similar mentality to the “Boss”-y hard-edged material found on 2019’s GREY Area. Simz taps her friend and collaborator Obongjayar for another incredible link-up, and on “Flood” it feels like they took SIMBI’s “Point and Kill” into much darker territory. Moonchild Sanelly makes the track even more vivid, with her wild vocals over clicking, thunderous tribal percussion and lurking bass- it's a tough-as-nails track and another standout, among many on Lotus.
“Young” finds Simz tapping into a playful character and embracing a lighthearted approach. While it's a bit of a vibe-flip coming out of the primal, chest-beating badassery of “Flood”, it's refreshing and fun for Simz to include on Lotus. It’s definitely her most vividly British-sounding track, and expands her palette by combining some bratty punk choruses with a more theater-core verse approach akin to her contemporaries like The Streets or Doechii. “Only” enters a new sonic outfit for Simz, combining samba with a rich string section. Her effortless but impeccable flow on this track recalls the feel-good mood of tracks like “Two Worlds Apart” from SIMBI. The choruses by Lydia Kitto might be the most lovely vocal feature on the record. Simz's swagger is effortless on this standout, and the vibe couldn't be more perfectly set for the following track “Free”, making for another fantastic duo on the album. “Free” is full of endlessly quotable lyrics tackling the subjects of love and fear, feeling a bit like the DAMN. era of her big fan, Mr. Kendrick Lamar. Simz's words here are eloquent and her perspective in the song is very emotionally intelligent and grounded. The finale breakdown of “Free” is such a homerun— it is rooted in pure, classic hip-hop.
Lotus album artwork by your.work. Out today via AWAL
“Peace” breaks things up nicely as a thematic breather track. The song is feature heavy, with the back half of the track being dominated by soulful features from Moses Sumney and Miraa May. “Peace” and the next track “Hollow” work as a pair. A lot of Lotus’s vibes come in twos - like the angry toughness of (Thief/Flood), the emotional consciousness of (Lonely/Blue) and the gorgeous and string heavy (Only/Free). “Hollow”, floats freely with poetic bars from a wounded and wiser heart; it finds Simz flowing through with harps that sweep in like an epic fairytale. As the second track in a pair of beat-less songs , “Hollow” is the standout– complete with orchestration that resembles the scope of SIMBI.
The album's next duo is a highly potent 2-pack of serious fun. “Lion” is an yet another incredible link-up from Simz and Obongjayar, and its afrobeat feels like a spiritual sequel to the duo of “Point and Kill” into “Fear No Man” on SIMBI. “Lion” comes across like a hip-hop tornado of Fela Kuti influence. With Simz and Obongjayor releasing 3 incredible collabs this year together, they have been moving like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen– it’s absolutely unreal. If you see these two featured on a track together, press play ASAP.
“Enough” featuring Yukimi Nagano opens with a bass line and a toy piano, mirroring off-kilter lines from each other in a strange way, until the track lands on an incredibly funky bassline with a very live dance-party feel. It's full of wonky and wild dance beats, it's a very fruitful collaboration that is closer to Yukimi’s odd rave-up dance music with Little Dragon than any stuff you would hear on a Little Simz record. The track is bursting with fun one-liners like “I am an electric black girl! / Don't make me pull the plug!” Although it's not a huge showcase feature for Yukimi, her energetic camaraderie with Simz in this oddball dance-track is such a highlight; this massive banger is very experimental and cool for the Simz universe.
Little Simz by Thibaut Grevet
From here, the record moves into the deep and emotional side of Simz music.
“Blood” is a more conceptual, theatrical and artsy track that conveys a conversation with a brother on family dynamics, as it takes excursions into UK dub. “Blood’ is a great example of why all of these songs are great to listen to as individual tracks and also in the context of the album.
The title track “Lotus” is a clear masterpiece. After soulful samples, it takes off with sharp, distorted bars and incredible drums by Yussef Dayes, with Simz on fire with rage. It is a stunning and razor sharp performance all around. The explosive drums firing through the jazzy instrumental outro of this song is the sonic peak of the record. “Lotus” recalls the heights of instrumentals on her album SIMBI– but with a much more ripping and jazzy approach.
“Lonely” feels like a unicorn in the Little Simz discography, considering she reveals a struggle with self doubt on the road to recording Lotus. It’s hard to imagine someone as wickedly talented as Simz dealing with writer's block, but perhaps the loss of a recent right hand (producer) man was bound to affect her loss of confidence– as suggested by some of the lyrics. “Blue” finds Simz speaking from the heart, exploring hypotheticals and finding a light at the end of the tunnel. The track is accentuated by nylon-string guitar, piano and a soulful feature by Sampha, doing what he does best. It's not necessarily going out with a bang, as it's very minimalistic and “blue” in a spoken-word type manner, but it's heartfelt and done incredibly well.
Although the last two tracks on Lotus have a surprisingly somber feel for an album that mainly displays Little Simz finding her arc from trauma to greatness– much of the the material on Lotus is among her best work. What Simz did very well on Lotus, versus her last release NO THANK YOU, is she adjusted the balance to be more multifaceted and inclusive of her last three records– ultimately making things more accessible. On NO THANK YOU, the music was masterful but it was about 80-90% intense and heavy feelings, while on Lotus it's closer to 40-50%. Lotus covers that important raw and emotional material (Blue, Lonely, Peace) with plenty of room for fun (Lion, Enough, Young, Only), more reflective pieces (Free, Hollow, Blood) and more hard-edged, fiery bangers (Thief, Lotus, Flood).
In this reviewers opinion, Lotus is very much in the same ball park as Simz’s very best albums GREY Area and SIMBI, and even if it does not outright top them— being in the same league is an insane accomplishment. It's impressive to see Little Simz add a 4th album to this hot-streak of masterful records she has released since 2019’s GREY Area – her catalog is such a beast at this point. Lotus also feels like the beginning of a new era— a rebirth, which finds Little Simz reclaiming her power. With the release of Lotus, it is even more clear that Little Simz is a generational talent who has proven time and time again that she exudes pure artistry and can level up in many ways with every subsequent release. Little Simz is stronger and her future is brighter than ever, and Lotus is a great way to celebrate that.
Occult Highlights: Lotus, Lion, Thief, Enough, Only, Flood, Free
(but we recommend you spin the whole album as you grow stronger from the tears of your foes)