Well, it’s about damn time! Steve Lacy had us ready to go when he announced he was working on Oh yeah?, the highly anticipated follow-up to his hit album Gemini Rights, with his single “Nice Shoes” last August. Little did we know that we’d be waiting almost an entire year for the set to arrive. But the day of its release is drawing near, with Steve announcing that it will arrive next month. To tide us over, he’s dropped the set’s latest single “the feeling.”
As with most of his solo work, “the feeling” is self-produced by Steve. That’s perhaps why his sensibilities come though loud and clear on this one. The song still has an alternative feel that carries over from Gemini Rights, with moody guitar and a subtle, stretchy bass line delivering on the feeling of heartache as the drums keep the time.
The moodiness is important, as Steve pours out his heart, realizing that he wants his love back in his life. This is especially clear on the second verse, when he sings, “Staring at your pictures, wishing that I was with you / Drunker than a b***h, sure’d be nice to kiss you / I could let it go, but I’m not a quitter / I can’t let you go, I’m in love with you.” The chorus, meanwhile, finds Steve repeatedly asking one simple question: “Am I your baby?”
With the song’s lonely feel, it’s no wonder that Steve goes solo for the visual. The clip mainly features tight close-ups of his face that zoom in even further. This is coupled with dim, moody lighting that makes the entire affair feel intimate and personal.
But — as is par for the course with him — things take a trippy turn. Near the clip’s end, we see visions of a shirtless, oiled-up Steve wearing what appears to be a hot pink codpiece glide across the screen. We’re pulled back close for the video’s final shot, though, as all but his eyes are illuminated while a pink halo of fire burns behind him.
Oh yeah? is already sounding interesting with “the feeling” and "Nice Shoes" giving us two unique flavors from Steve Lacy. We’ll find out sooner rather than later what he’s up to when the project is released on Friday, July 17th, which is the same day that his homie Syd, also of The Internet, is scheduled to drop her new album Beard. Make sure to pre-order/pre-save Oh yeah? ahead of its release date, and get another close-up of Steve on the album’s cover and view the tracklist below.
Steve Lacy Oh yeah? tracklist:
01. oh yeah?
02. is it cool?
03. the feeling
04. pure colour
05. show you me
06. doom
07. nothing
08. lovesexdrugbomb
09. nice shoes/in your world
10. bebe
