It's almost time for us to get our hands on Kelela's debut album. Judging by what we've heard from the set, singles "LMK" and "Frontline," and the cover singles and album artwork, Take Me Apart is going to be a revealing listen. But just before she gives us the full project, Kelela made sure to drop off two more singles from the album, "Waitin" and "Blue Light," to get us ready for what's to come.
"Waitin" mines familiar territory for anyone who's ran into an ex and had old feelings stir back up. That's exactly the situation finds herself in with the song's lyrics. "Saw you then, it f**ked me up /But I'm working out it's just my luck / Shoulda said can we go to bed / (Now you go) Now we're back to where we started from," she sings on the opening verse, capturing the awkward feeling of such an encounter. Musically, she seems inspired by tracks she's done before. The kinetic bounce definitely reminds us of her 2015 track "Rewind" and she even interpolates part of her banger "Bank Head" in the second verse. "Blue Light," on the other hand, mines a few other influences. The sexy, sensual song seems inspired in part by '90s babymaking jams and '80s new wave, with Kelela's feather-like voice floating among a sea of synths as she sings of dropping her guard to let a lover in. While she may be apprehensive about the pace of it all, the song's chorus shows her more than willing to give in to the feeling. "I'm on my way right now / Promise I won't be long," she sings. "Baby keep the blue light on / Chains, they come fallin' down."
"Blue Light," on the other hand, mines a few other influences. The sexy, sensual song seems inspired in part by '90s babymaking jams and '80s new wave, with Kelela's feather-like voice floating among a sea of synths as she sings of dropping her guard to let a lover in. While she may be apprehensive about the pace of it all, the song's chorus shows her more than willing to give in to the feeling. "I'm on my way right now / Promise I won't be long," she sings. "Baby keep the blue light on / Chains, they come fallin' down."
So far, we haven't heard a song from the set that we haven't loved, which means we'll definitely be giving Kelela our coins when Take Me Apart drops this Friday. Take a listen to both "Waitin" and "Blue Light" right here and be sure to pre-order the album on iTunes or vinyl (or, if you don't want to choose, order it on both formats).
